CLANNAD クラナド Ever After
by Samuel95
Summary: "What's your name? Would you tell Fuko? Let's be friends and play together. The fun is only about to begin." - Ushio Okazaki, twelve years on from that day, is in her final year of high school. Soon she will be lead down a road of hardships, friendships and love. From High School to College and out into the greater world, Ushio's life is about to change; for better or worse.
1. Book I: Ushio's Story

~*Authors Note*~

****** Updates Coming** - Hello to my new and returning readers. First, I'd like to address the returning ones who are reading this. You may have notice the change in title. The decision to go from 'Ushio's Story' to 'Ever After' came from a few reasons. The first being that Ushio's Story is mainly the title for the first book, this wasn't the case in the early days when I was only planning for a 50 part story at most, but since it's now become a trilogy I wanted to give a title to the whole series. Also, after re-reading some of the chapters, well, I've decided to revise all of them. I've said this before as I've gone along and I have done minor revisions to the story but nothing major.

So, continuing on from what I just said, I want the entire story to hold to a pretty high standard in terms of presentation and consistency. This also brings me into my next point regarding revisions. I am going to rewrite portions of some chapters. Now, this may be simply rewording a sentence to a complete rewrite of a scene (No plot points will change). I feel that this is the best course of action. I've taken feedback and advice from people and have attempted to apply it where necessary yet, I still feel the need to improve this story overall.

Now, the same will be happening with the cover and summary. At the moment, they are simply place holders for what will be coming ... eventually. I'm going to work on some original art for the cover, nothing amazing but something suitable, and I want to write a perfect summary which is harder than expected. - I've said before that I'm working on some original art work for the characters, this is still coming but it is a slow process.

Now, this is a rather large undertaking as there are more than 50 chapters to go through, as well as the art work to do and summary to write. Also, there's the fact that I'll still be uploading new chapters along with the revisions. So, I hope you can all bare with me - **Which you have been doing so far, something which I am very grateful for. **- I do have university to worry about, work piles up from time to time. I also have other projects I am working on, mainly to do with film, so I've been and am going to be quite busy.

So, I'd just like to thank each and every one of you that continue to support me and this story, it's means a lot!

**Now, to the new readers **- Well, first off I would like to thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my fanfiction. This story is a continuation of Clannad and Clannad: After Story so there will be spoilers, of course you will have seen it though. It is set 12 years after the end of After Story. Ushio Okazaki is 17 years old and is in her senior year of high school.

You may have noticed that the chapter title says 'Book I: Ushio's Story'. This is the first book of a trilogy, so overall the story will be split into three separate books. The first book contains all the chapters up to #50 'What The Future Holds'. Chapter #51 is the start of the second book, leading up to chapter #100. Following on, chapter #101 will be the start of the third book. Each book covers a new stage of the characters lives. Book I covers their senior year of high school. Book II covers their young adult years, around the 21 - 23 age range. Lastly, book III will cover their lives going on into parenthood - just to give you a heads up.

So, sit back and enjoy the story. If you like this please follow and leave a review, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

**~*1*~**

It was around 3:10 pm on a warm Wednesday afternoon when Ushio Okazaki was walking to the school club rooms. She stood at 5'6 with chestnut coloured eyes and brunette hair that flowed down to her back. Ushio wore her usual school uniform made up of a yellow shirt and a blue skirt. As she passed through the long hallway, scanning each door as she went by, she stopped at one. It wasn't the place she was looking for but what made her stop was the noise coming from the other side. Muffled voices sounded as if they were shouting at each other. Being naturally curious she placed her head against the wooden door, trying to listen in. Suddenly the door swung open; as she darted out of the way something flew past her. The figure fell to the ground with a hard thud and sprung up instantly. It was a boy with messy black hair and brown eyes. He also sported the same yellow uniform but wore black trousers. The door came to a close as he leapt towards it, banging his fists upon the wooden panels. "Let me back in! I promise I won't mess around anymore!" He cried.

"Get out of here Sakumoto! You're a bum!" An angry voice replied.

"Come on! I need this credit!"

"Well you should have thought of that before you disrespected us!" The voice shouted. The boy dropped to the floor and leant his head on the door, defeated. He rested there for a moment until he realised he wasn't alone. When he noticed a girl had witnessed this event he jumped to his feet and let out a nervous laugh.

"How long have you been there?" He asked, rather uneasy.

"Not long..." Ushio replied in a soft, gentle voice.

"What did you see?" The boy wondered as he continued peering at her.

"Apart from you being kicked out of this club?" She questioned with a laugh.

"I see." He let out a sigh, "am I in your way?" He asked.

"No. I was just looking for the drama club" Ushio said smiling.

"Oh, it's over this way." He said as he motioned with his hand for her to follow, she did. "I actually might join; it is next on my list after all."

"Next on your list?"

"What? Oh, no it's nothing" He said in his attempt to brush her off. They came to a halt at an old  
>door towards the end of the hallway. A piece of paper was stuck to it 'Drama Club – Newcomers welcome!' was written on it. "Here we are!" The boy said with a grin. Ushio stood there staring at the paper sign. "Aren't you gonna knock?" He asked.<p>

"I'm just a little nervous" Ushio replied anxiously.

"Why?" The boy asked, confused.

"It's nothing, let's go in" She said as she knocked on the door.

"Come on in!" a voice replied. Ushio slid the door open and the two of them walked into the room. There wasn't much to it. The room was empty apart from a table, several chairs and a dozen boxes containing what looked to be props. A girl sat in the centre of all this. She had flowing violet hair with deep blue eyes and was wearing the same outfit as Ushio. "Hello, were you wanting t-" As soon as her eyes met the boy she stopped speaking. She began to shake her head. "No, no not you!" she shouted.

"Wha- What have I done now?" The boy asked.

"Kaito, all you do is slack off; I'm not letting you join this club!" The girl hissed.

"Who said I was going to join?!" He retorted.

"Um... Hi" Ushio's voice sprung up between the two colliding forces.

"Oh hi! You're here to join?" The girl asked, ignoring the boy.

"That's right" Ushio smiled.

"I'm Yumi Koharu, it's nice to meet you" She said.

"I'm Ushio Okazaki and it's nice to meet you too" The girl gave her a warm smile.

"Take a seat" Yumi said. Ushio did as she was asked. "Tell me, do you know much about drama?"

"Well, I've only just started getting into it but I'm really eager to learn" Ushio assured her.

"That's good to know" Yumi replied. The two began to get into a conversation, discussing the club and what they would be getting up to when a voice spoke out of the corner of the room.

"Where are the other members?" It was the boy from earlier that the two girls had almost forgotten was with them.

"Oh, Kaito... I forgot you were here." Yumi sneered. The boy gave her a sharp look.

"Well?" The boy asked.

"Well what?"

"Where are the other members?" He repeated.

"There aren't any" Yumi muttered.

"Wait you're the only member?" Ushio asked; a little worried.

"Yeah, the only other members were seniors from last year. Since we're seniors now, I was left to take over the club but I've had a lot of trouble getting people to join. No one seems to be interested this year, well apart from you and Kaito" Yumi sighed as the boy began to speak again.

"Wait... I still haven't said I'-"

"Then if you're the only member how have you kept the club open for the last semester?" Ushio interrupted.

"Well, I begged the student council and they gave me until the end of this semester. I don't have long left to recruit." Yumi shrugged her shoulders with a sad look on her face.

"How many people do you need?" Ushio asked, hoping to lift her spirits.

"Including me?" Yumi asked, Ushio nodded "At least three" She sighed.

"Then I'm in!" Ushio declared, determined to see it through.

"Well, that's great!" Yumi said joyfully.

"Guess I'll give it a go too" The boy added. Yumi stared at him for a moment.

"Why should I let you join? I've heard you've been kicked out of five clubs already" Tutted Yumi. Ushio looked over to the boy. He stared back at her, rather embarrassed by Yumi's words. Ushio could see he was uncomfortable so she gave him a smile, encouraging him to speak.

"Look, people give me a hard time because of rumours. It's not my fault." He sighed, Yumi remained silent. "What? Do I have to beg?" He added. Yumi grinned at him.

"It may help." She said. The boy let out another sigh.

"Fine" He placed his hands together and lifted them above his head in an exaggerated manner. "Please Yumi; I need this credit to help maintain my attendance. If I can't get into a club it'll drop and I could get kicked out of school." There was a slight pause. "How was that?" He said as he gave an uneasy laugh. Ushio studied him for a moment trying to make sense of what was going on. She felt like she knew this boy but of course she had never met him before today.

"That'll do fine" Yumi gave him a pat on the head. The boy groaned and the three of them sat down as they began chatting about the club activities.

* * *

><p>Soon the clock reached 4:15 pm. "Well, that's a wrap for our first meeting I guess." Yumi said with a smile. "We have meetings at 3:15 every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday".<p>

"Friday?!" The boy cried "God does this get any worse?!" He moaned placing his head between his hands.

"Just remember how nice I was to you." Yumi preached, patting herself on the back.

"Yeah that was a first" The boy laughed.

"This was really fun but I have to get going now" Ushio said, trying to defuse the tension.

"Okay, I need to stay here and sort a few things out so I'll see you Friday. I'll see you tomorrow, in class Kaito" She gave him a wink.

"Oh boy, I look forward to that."

"Uhuh, see you later." Yumi replied, ignoring what was just said. Ushio and the boy left the room and headed down the empty hallway.

"You two are in the same class then?" Ushio asked him.

"Huh? Oh yeah" An uncomfortable silence followed as they both tried to think of something to say. After thinking of something the two began to speak at the same time.

"Why were yo-"/"What were th-" They both fell silent.

"You first" The boy said with a smile.

"If you don't mind me asking ... What were the rumours about you?" The boy hung his head when this was asked. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Ushio empathized. He brought his head back up with a grin.

"Did you ever hear about the time when the principle was hit from the rooftop with a giant water balloon?" He laughed.

"That was you?" Ushio asked.

"Well, since I'm such a nice guy I took the heat for my friend, Takeshi. He was already looking at a suspension from school. I got in a lot of trouble for it though. I think it was because the principle just didn't like me to begin with that my punishment was so harsh." Ushio wondered what the punishment was but felt like it would be rude to dig deeper. "So yeah, I've got a slight reputation for being a troublemaker... Which is why I was kicked out of five clubs, people don't like having me around much. It's also why I need to stay in this one. I need to keep my attendance up and my homeroom teacher is making me take extra activities for me to show my dedication. If I don't do as he says I'll end up being kicked out and I won't graduate" He let out a sigh. "I can't wait to get out of here." Ushio wondered why he was telling her so much. She decided to brush it off for now.

"So what were you going to ask me?" She said.

"Oh... I was just wondering why you were so nervous before going into the club room. You don't seem like the type to really get nervous."

"Well, I've only really decided to do drama because of my mom."

"Your mom?" The boy asked.

"Yup" Ushio smiled. "She loved it when she was young but she couldn't do much of it because she would often get ill. So I thought I'd try it out and she could come and watch me. I just don't want to disappoint her" Ushio explained.

"I see. Well, I'm sure you won't" He gave her a smile that she returned. They reached the exit of the school grounds and stood outside by the large gates.

"Well I'm off this way" Ushio said pointing down a road to the left.

"I'm this way" The boy said pointing in the opposite direction.

"Okay well, I guess I'll see you later." Ushio uttered.

"Yeah, sure" The boy replied. He began to walk off as Ushio called out to him.

"Wait a second!"

"Yeah?" He asked.

"I just remembered. We haven't been properly introduced yet" she laughed, "I'm Ushio Okazaki" she said as she put out her hand. The boy looked her up and down as he smiled.

"Well, Okazaki. I'm Kaito Sakumoto. It's nice to meet you" He shook her hand. She gave him a little nod, said farewell and set off home. Kaito stood there watching her walk off into the distance. His phone gave a buzz as he picked it out of his pocket. A text on his phone read: 'Where you bean? Come to the courts. Let's have a game.' It was from his friend, Takeshi. _Bean_? He thought to himself, what an idiot. Kaito replied to the text and placed the phone back in his pocket. He stood there looking at the spot where Ushio had been standing before. Then he turned around and headed off to meet his friend.

* * *

><p>About 15 minutes later Kaito made it to the local park. It wasn't much, simply a large patch of grass with some trees and the odd bench. A few tennis and basketball courts lay at the far end. He headed over to them. As he was approaching the furthest court he could make out two figures, two boys wearing school uniforms. One was beneath the hoop bouncing a ball, the other sat up straight on the grassy banking to the side. The boy on the court was called Takeshi Fujimoto. He had straight fair hair with bright green eyes. The other boy was Junichiro Akimoto. He had slightly shorter red hair and also had green eyes. Kaito walked up to them. "Hey Juni" He called.<p>

"Hi" Junichiro replied in a quiet voice. The other boy, Takeshi didn't seem to notice his friend had arrived.

"Keshi ... yo Keshi!" Kaito shouted. The boy bouncing the ball turned around.

"Oh hey man!" He gave his friend a big grin. "Where've you been? We've been waiting for ages."

"I joined a cl-"

"Check out my 3 pointer!" Takeshi interrupted. He stepped back and launched the ball at the hoop. The other two watched in anticipation as the ball hit the front of the rim and went flying back at Takeshi. He ducked under quick enough for Kaito to catch the ball.

"Nice 3 pointer" Kaito laughed. Takeshi gave him a dig in the ribs. "Cheap shot man!" Kaito shouted.

"You deserved it" Takeshi replied, showing Kaito his middle finger.

"Come on guys ... get along?" Junichiro suggested.

"Fine" Kaito said and Takeshi gave him a nod.

"So yeah, where were you?" Takeshi asked again. Kaito looked at his friends. He knew what was about to happen. "Well?"

"I joined the drama club." Kaito declared, folding his arms and looking away. He looked back to Takeshi, his upper lip was quivering. Kaito looked towards Junichiro who was bewildered. His gaze returned to Takeshi. His lip was uncontrollable at this point. "What the hell's so funny?!"

"You ... in the drama club. Good one, _Mr. Sa-ku-mo-to_" Takeshi laughed sarcastically while emphasising the syllables. Kaito sighed.

"What? Whatever man, let's just play. Come on Juni" he looked at his friend who still looked puzzled. "Juni!" Kaito shouted. His friend looked up. "Let's play" Kaito said giving him a thumbs up.

"Yeah sure" Junichiro said, walking over to join the other two on the court.

* * *

><p>An hour passed and the boys decided to give up and head for home. As they were walking down the road, away from the park, Takeshi began to speak. "So yeah, you guys still up for Friday?"<p>

"What is it again?" Junichiro asked.

"Duh, I got a new console. My house after school" Takeshi said, stretching his arms up.

"Sure" Junichiro replied.

"Kaito, you coming?" Takeshi asked. Kaito was about to speak when Junichiro cut in.

"He can't."

"Huh, why not?"

"He's ... well he's in the drama club and all clubs meet on Fridays" Junichiro muttered.

"You dumbass, that was a joke" Takeshi laughed. Kaito gave him a funny look.

"No it wasn't" Kaito said bluntly.

"What?" Takeshi's mouth dropped. "I thought you were messing with us!" He shouted, coming to a stop on the road.

"You have weird reactions to things" Kaito said as he began walking off without him. Junichiro followed him leaving their friend behind.

"Hey!" Takeshi cried. Kaito turned around.

"What now?" He asked, getting rather annoyed.

"Why the hell would you join a club? Let alone the drama club! I mean, Yumi's in there!" He hissed as he gave a shudder at the thought of the girl. "Besides, you hate those kinds of things" he added.

"Yeah, well I have to. Mr. Miyagi said I have to do some extra activities to balance out my attendance." Kaito said, shrugging his shoulders.

"That sucks man" Takeshi sighed.

"Why are you so bothered?" Junichiro asked him.

"Well ... now I'm the only delinquent out of us three. I mean you're a math whizz Juni" Takeshi said, patting his friend on the back as Junichiro laughed, a little embarrassed. "Me and Kaito; we're detention buddies. Now I'm alone!" Takeshi began to cry dramatically. Neither of the two had noticed that Kaito had given them the slip. "Hey! Where did Kaito go?" Takeshi asked while wiping a fake tear off of his cheek.

"I guess you were annoying him ... no offence" Junichiro said quietly.

"Tsk! Forget him! Come on man let's go I've got stuff to do at home" Takeshi said. Junichiro shrugged and followed. The two continued on alone as Kaito watched them from behind a tree. He made sure the coast was clear and continued to walk down the road, counting the steps as he made his way to that lonely place he called his home.

**~*1*~**

**_Please, if you are going to write about spoilers in your review, place a spoiler warning at the beginning. If you do not, your review will be removed - Thank you._**


	2. Old Faces

**~*2*~**

The long road stretched onwards as Ushio went on her way. She had left school about 15 minutes ago. Today she had joined the drama club and made two new friends, Kaito Sakumoto and Yumi Koharu. She was feeling quite satisfied with herself. As she plodded along the road, making her way home she decided that there was one person who would love to know that she had taken up drama. So, she decided to take a detour towards the local park. It was in the complete opposite way to which she had come but she didn't care. She couldn't wait to see the look on this person's face when she revealed to him that she was in the drama club and would perhaps be partaking in a performance at some point. Later, as Ushio past the local park she glanced over to it. It was a simple place with a few trees and benches that also sported a couple of basketball and tennis courts, there used to be a small baseball pitch there, where her family would often play but that had been replaced by what stood there now. At the end of the park she saw three boys playing basketball, she recognised one of them. It was Kaito, the boy she had met that same day. Ushio decided not to go over, after all she had only just met him and she didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable in front of his friends. She assumed that the boy with fair hair was Takeshi who Kaito had spoken of before; _it couldn't be the other_ _one_ Ushio thought; for the boy with the red hair looked far too innocent.

She moved away from the park and came to a house. It wasn't just a house however; there was a large sign out at the front which read 'Furukawa Bakery'. It was her grandparent's home. She strolled up to the entrance of the bakery. Popping her head in the door, she called out. "Hello?" No reply. She entered and called out again, "Aki? Sanae?" Suddenly a woman came running through the back of the shop; she had long brown hair and looked very young for her age. It was her grandmother, Sanae Furukawa.

"So my bread ... my bread ... is just fit for a pillow is it?!" She cried, running past Ushio, not noticing her, and out of the shop. Ushio heard another person running towards her, she knew who it was. A man came out of the back with red hair, a few gray strands here and there yet he also retained his youth. He had a mouthful of bread and was trying to shout something.

"I ... Wu-v ... Th-m!" He saw Ushio and came to a halt; it was her grandfather Akio Furukawa.

"Aki! Have you been messing with Sanae again?" Ushio asked, raising an eye brow. Akio looked at her and swallowed the bread in his mouth. He gave a deep sigh.

"Hey kiddo! How're you doing?" He bellowed. Ushio folded her arms.

"Aki, answer the question." She ordered. He hung his head.

"I was sleeping on her bread in the kitchen. I was only resting my eyes for a few minutes and then she came in and well ... You know how it goes" He laughed.

"I do know." She kept her gaze on her grandfather and smiled, placing her arms around him. He squeezed her tight and let her go; he grabbed a cigarette out of his pocket along with a lighter. Placing the lighter towards the cigarette he lit it and blew a ring of smoke out of his mouth. "I really hate that" Ushio said, scolding him.

"Hey now, I got enough of that off of your mother, I don't need you on my case about this, it's only a bit of smoke" Akio sulked. Ushio rolled her eyes at him.

"Guess what I did today Aki."

"Um ... you went to school?" He laughed.

"That really wasn't funny" Ushio replied.

"I'm only messing kiddo, what'd you get up to?"

"I joined the school drama club!" Ushio said with excitement in her eyes.

"Really? Hey that's great kid! Guess you've got more of me in you then I thought!" Akio jested.

"Huh?" Ushio said giving him a worried look.

"I'm messing kid! Good for you. You're mom is sure to be happy" He replied.

"Yup" Ushio nodded with a smile. "By the way shouldn't you be going after Sanae? I don't think she noticed me through her tears." Akio suddenly came to his senses.

"Ah! Sanae!" He cried running to the front door, he came to another halt. "Hey kiddo, are you staying for dinner?" He asked.

"I can't, I have work to do" Ushio replied with a smile.

"You gonna be okay walking home then?" He asked.

"Yup" She replied.

"See ya later then kiddo!"

"See ya" She laughed. Akio cleared his throat.

"Sanae! I love them!" He yelled running out of the door after his wife. Ushio followed after him and headed for home.

About 30 minutes later Ushio had made her way to her home. She lived in a nice place, past the run down area of her town. She had to pass through it in order to reach her home yet it had calmed down a lot over the years. She would often hear stories about the gang violence that went on and that one day it had all come to a stop as the two gangs had joined forces. Of course she never knew what to believe as a lot of wild theories and tales went around the town, some of which involved her parents, those were always her favourite stories. She passed through the small garden and came up to the front door. She pushed it open and entered. Sounds came from the kitchen, someone was cooking. Ushio called in "I'm home."

"I'm in the kitchen!" A gentle voice cried out. Ushio made her way through the living room and into the kitchen. It was a decent size, well-kept and clean. In the middle of the kitchen, stood in front of the stove was Ushio's mother, Nagisa Okazaki. She was very pretty, with shoulder length brown hair that matched her hazel eyes, much like Ushio yet at the top of Nagisa's hair two strands always popped out, much like Akio and Sanae's. She wore a white apron that read 'Dango' and had a pattern of dumplings spread across it.

"Hi mom" Ushio said.

"Hi sweetheart, you're home later than usual, how was school?" She asked, with a gentle smile, watching her simmering pot.

"It was good. I met some new people today, a girl called Yumi Koharu and a boy, Kaito Sakumoto."

"Are they nice?" Nagisa asked.

"Yup! We're in the drama club together."

"The drama club? You joined?" Nagisa asked excitedly.

"Mmmhmm" Ushio hummed fighting her grin.

"Aw sweetie that's great! I can't wait to watch you perform!" Nagisa said, hugging Ushio.

"Thanks mom" Ushio muttered, breaking free of her mother's grip. "Is dad home?"

"He's working late tonight hun; he won't be home until 11 or so" Nagisa replied.

"Okay, I've got homework to do so I'll be in my room."

"I'll call you for dinner" Nagisa smiled. Ushio headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her bedroom.

The next day at lunch the school cafeteria was, as per usual, crowded. Ushio, who usually took a bento to school, made her way past the large crowds of students and out to the school courtyard. It was a quiet place; few people came to eat here. It was full of greenery and flowers with the odd bench here and there. She saw a familiar face sat out on one of the benches. It was her friend, Kumiko Nakahara, sat down eating her bento as she always did. She looked quite similar to Ushio. People would often assume they were sisters. Kumiko had a brown bob of hair with clear blue eyes, one of the only things to set her apart from Ushio. A large set of head phones covered her head, she loved music. "Kumiko!" Ushio yelled as she approached her friend. No answer. "Kumiko!" Ushio repeated, waving her hand in front of Kumiko's face. Kumiko jumped at the sudden movement and pulled her head phones down as the calming tune of a piano leaked through them.

"Oh hi Ushio, I didn't notice you" She said with a laugh.

"You never do" Ushio replied. "What's it today?"

"Ayako Uehara**, **her work is pretty wonderful" Kumiko stated, brushing her hair behind her ears.

"I meant the bento" Ushio said rolling her eyes.

"Oh! Just the usual, what about you?" She asked.

"The usual" Ushio said, echoing Kumiko's words as she took a seat next to her friend.

"So how was the drama club?" Kumiko asked.

"Yeah, it was good. There are only three of us. Me, this girl called Yumi Koharu and a boy, Kaito Sakumoto" She replied, fiddling with the lid of her bento.

"Sakumoto?" Kumiko repeated.

"Yup."

"Why does that sound familiar?" She wondered.

"I'll give you a hint, water balloons" She laughed.

"Oh, right. Yeah I know him. He's friends with Junichiro right?"

"Junichiro? The one who is in your maths class?" Ushio asked.

"Yeah, he mentioned him once."

"I don't know. You're probably right though. I mean we haven't spoken much yet."

"Junichiro said he was a bit of a trouble maker."

"Do you two talk a lot?" Ushio questioned, with a slight grin.

"Hmm? Well, we do sit next to each other" Kumiko said bluntly.

"Awwwww Kumiko!"

"What?" Kumiko asked in a worried voice.

"You like him!" Ushio laughed as her friend blushed.

"No! He's just cute is all" Kumiko replied, trying to hide her face.

"I can keep a secret!" Ushio yelled.

"Then stop shouting and I'll believe you." Kumiko retorted.

"Okay, okay." Ushio said with a big smile, putting her arm around her friend.

"Can we not talk about it anymore?" Kumiko asked.

"Okay" Ushio replied. The two went quiet. "Ayako Uehara is pretty wonderful" Ushio said.

"Yeah, she is" Kumiko replied. The two girls giggled as they continued to eat their lunches.

Back in the busy cafeteria three boys were sat at the far end of a large table. Their heads were barely visible in the midst of the crowd; one black, one fair and one red, Kaito, Takeshi and Junichiro. Junichiro was happily eating his bento as Takeshi and Kaito looked on, stomachs rumbling. "Well, you always come prepared" Takeshi said, poking Junichiro's arm.

"I said you could have some" Junichiro said, swatting Takeshi finger away.

"And I said no man. It's unfair for us to take your food" said Kaito as he flicked a small paper ball he had made.

"Yeah, _you_ said no. I didn't." Takeshi moaned.

"I really don't mind guys, here have some" Junichiro offered with a bright smile.

"Thanks man, but no. It's yours" Kaito reassured him as Takeshi gave him a glare. "How much money do you have Keshi?" Kaito asked.

"About 55 yen" Takeshi sighed.

"I've got 130" Kaito said, counting up his money. "We've got enough for some anpan."

"Oh great, freaking bean bread" Keshi replied sarcastically.

"Come on man" Kaito said handing him the money.

"Why should I go?" Keshi asked.

"I'm putting in the most money, go get it" Kaito ordered.

"Bu- bu-" Realising it was pointless Keshi let out a sigh "Fine" he said as he got up and went over to the long queue, waiting for his bean bread.

"How's it been going anyway?" Kaito asked Junichiro whose mouth was full of rice. He took a gulp as he swallowed it.

"Good" He said.

"Yeah? What about that girl?" Kaito asked.

"Which girl?"

"You know, geeky math girl" Kaito laughed.

"Have you told Takeshi about her?" Junichiro questioned.

"No, no of course not" He said, giving a stern look. "Keshi would never shut up about it."

"That's true." Junichiro replied, smiling at his friend.

"So how's it going with her?"

"Well we talk about maths. Apart from a few other things here and there that's pretty much it." Junichiro shrugged.

"I thought you liked her?" Kaito asked, confused.

"Yeah, I do. You know me though; I'm terrible with this stuff, Keshi's the one who's good at it."

"No Keshi likes to think he's good at it, in truth he sucks with girls ... well apart from that one time."

"You mean at that party?" Juni asked.

"Yeah ... I think that kinda put him off the whole thing though."

"I think you're probably right" stated Junichiro.

"Look ... maybe you need to be a little bit more confident man" Kaito began, "You're always so quiet."

"You know why" Junichiro muttered.

"Yeah but you got me and Keshi now, we've got your back. You know that."

"Yeah I suppose." he said.

"I dunno. Just find out what she likes, talk about it with her." Kaito suggested.

"Well, she listens to a lot of music."

"There you go buddy, talk about that."

"I'll try but I'm no-" Junichiro began but Takeshi was on his way back.

"Where's the anpan?" Kaito asked when Takeshi arrived.

"I got hungry, here there's some left" Takeshi said as he produced a packet with a small piece of bread inside.

"That's just bread!" Kaito yelled. "Thanks a lot man!"

"Yeah, sorry man, I owe you" Takeshi said with an innocent grin on his face.

"You bet you do, I want a dessert tomorrow."

"What I can't afford that, I just bought a new console man!" Takeshi cried.

"You better sell it then!" Kaito bellowed as he gave Takeshi a dig on his arm.

"Guys, get along?" Junichiro suggest with a smile.

"Ugh, fine" Kaito muttered.

"Sounds good!" Takeshi laughed.

"You still owe me a dessert" Kaito added. Takeshi began to sob, wiping fake tears from his eyes. Kaito rolled his eyes as Junichiro continued eating his lunch.

Ushio and Kumiko had finished their bentos and were heading back to their homeroom. As they reached the door of their class a voice called out from behind them. "Ushio wait!" They turned around and were met with the violet haired Yumi Koharu.

"Oh, hi Koharu." Ushio said as Yumi clung onto her sleeve, gasping for air.

"I'm almost late to class but I'm glad I found you."

"What's up?" Ushio asked.

"I'm at an audition tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh? That's great!" Ushio said, giving her a thumbs up.

"Thanks! Thing is, I'm not going to be here for our meeting. I've got a list though for you and Kaito to go through. Just a few things I'd like you two to do for recruitment" Yumi said, still catching her breath.

"Oh okay sounds good."

"Make sure he does something" Yumi said in a blunt voice.

"I will" Ushio laughed. "This is Kumiko by the way."

"Hi, I'm Yumi" She said, sticking out a hand.

"Nice to meet you" Kumiko said shaking Yumi's hand.

"Okay, I really have to go! See you next week!" Yumi yelled, dashing off to her lesson.

"She seemed nice" Kumiko laughed. "What do you have to do tomorrow?" She asked.

"We're making posters" Ushio replied. With that the two headed into their homeroom to continue the rest of their school day.

**~*2*~**

_**Please, if you are going to write about spoilers in your review, place a spoiler warning at the beginning. If you do not, your review will be removed - Thank you.**_


	3. A Long Walk Home

**~*3*~**

"I can't believe she's not here, what a hypocrite!" Kaito yelled as he read Yumi's instructions. It was a Friday afternoon, 3:15 pm; it was Ushio and Kaito's second drama club meeting. "She never shuts up about attendance to me, now look who's not here" He continued.

"Sakumoto-kun, just relax okay? She's at an audition."

"Look, Okazaki. If were going to be hanging out a lot, can you not call me 'Sakumoto-kun' please?" Kaito said as he sat on one of the chairs and placed his feet up onto the small table.

"Why not?" Ushio asked.

"Suffixes just really annoy me, way too formal."

"You know the word suffixes?" Ushio teased. Kaito gave her an annoyed look. "But you've been calling me Okazaki. If that's the case then I'd prefer it if you called me Ushio" She continued.

"Yeah?" Kaito asked.

"Yup" Ushio smiled.

"Okay then Ushio, it's a deal." Kaito said, offering out a hand. Ushio shook it and they both laughed.

"Right, now that's out of the way let's get down to business" Ushio said, taking the charge.

"Do we have to? Can't we just ... do something fun?" Kaito asked as he placed his arms behind his head, stretching.

"Koharu told me to make you do something" She replied, folding her arms. "Besides, we're only drawing a poster" Ushio brought out a case of pencils and some paper from her school bag. "Got any ideas?" She asked Kaito. Kaito took his feet off of the table and nudged in closer to it, staring at the sheet of paper. Ushio looked onwards at him, studying his face, wondering what he was thinking. He brushed his hand through his dark locks and yawned. "So?" Ushio asked.

"So what?" Kaito asked, confused. Ushio gave him a cold look.

"Have you got any ideas?" She asked again. Kaito leant over and took one of the pencils out of the case. He gave Ushio a grin.

"Just a few" He said as he began drawing. A few minutes later he held up the piece of paper to show Ushio. The picture was of, what looked to be, Yumi; except it had over exaggerated facial features. "This is sure to attract people to the club" Kaito laughed.

"That's really mean!" Ushio scolded.

"Oh come on! I got Yumi's nose dead on!" He said, pointing to the abnormally large nose on the picture.

"You mean Koharu and no you didn't!"

"Yeah ... we're not getting into names again" retorted Kaito.

"Can't you take this seriously?" Ushio asked as she screwed up Kaito's work of art, throwing it over to the bin in the corner of the room.

"You want me to take this seriously? It's a drama club."

"It's important to Koharu. Besides, it's fun" Ushio said, lightening the mood with her smile. Kaito looked at her for a moment, he felt very warm.

"Okay" Kaito began, "I'll take it seriously" he said, returning the smile. Ushio gave a slight giggle and the two began their work together.

The clock reached 4:00 pm as Kaito began to stir. Ushio looked up at the sleepy boy; his head lay flat on the table. "Are you awake?" She asked tapping the top of his head. Kaito jolted up in shock.

"I wasn't sleeping!" He cried. He came to his senses and his eyes landed on Ushio. "Was I?"

"You fell asleep about 20 minutes ago" Ushio replied.

"Crap. Sorry about that" He said, placing his arm behind his head and giving an uneasy laugh.

"Don't worry, I won't tell Koharu" Ushio laughed with a wink.

"Thanks ... still I feel bad, so much for taking this seriously" He hung his head.

"You stayed awake longer than expected though ... anyway look at this, I'm done" Ushio announced. Kaito lifted his head up. Ushio was holding up a large piece of paper.

"Hey, that looks really good" Kaito said, rather surprised. The poster had a picture of a staging area on it with performers on stage. There were a few smaller illustrations scattered around the edges, a few masks and other props. In the middle the information for the club was written along with the club rep's name '_Yumi Koharu'_. As Kaito studied the poster his eyes came to the top of it, just above was Ushio's face, peering back. Kaito let out a small cough. "Yeah, it's great ... you're a really good drawer."

"You really think so?" Ushio asked.

"Yeah, it's brilliant. It almost makes me want to do drama ... so you know it's good." He said with a laugh. Ushio blushed slightly, her cheeks looked sun kissed.

"Thanks ..." She replied. Kaito nodded.

"What time is it?" He asked. Ushio looked at her watch.

"It's just gone 4:00"

"What do ya say we get off early today?" Suggested Kaito; who held a hopeful smile.

"Only if you promise to stay awake for the full hour next time" Ushio bargained, raising an eyebrow. Kaito placed his hand on his chest.

"I promise."

They came to the school gates. "Guess I'll see you later Kaito" Ushio said as she waved goodbye.

"Okay then" Kaito replied. Ushio began walking down the path. Sakura trees lay at each side; they were beautiful this time of the year as the pink petals fell. Ushio was enjoying the view when she heard some footsteps coming up from behind. She turned around to see who it was. To her surprise it was Kaito following her. "Are you trying to walk me home?" Ushio asked, confused. Kaito came to a stop in front of her.

"No" He replied "I'm walking this way."

"I can see that" Ushio said. Kaito had a puzzled look on his face. "I thought you lived the other way?"

"I do. I'm walking this way. Keshi lives this way" Explained Kaito.

"Then why didn't you say anything before? When I said goodbye" She questioned.

"I dunno. I thought you wanted to walk alone." Ushio shook her head at Kaito's words. "D'you want to walk together then?" He asked. Ushio let out a sigh.

"If I must" She jested.

"That's not funny." Kaito said, walking past her.

"Don't be like that, I was only kidding!" She started walking after him. Kaito turned around and gave her a thumbs up.

"So was I" He said.

"That was mean!" Ushio cried.

"Hey ... I'm sorry."

"I was only kidding" Ushio laughed.

"Yeah this could go on for a while" Kaito said walking off again. Ushio ran after him trying to apologise.

"So what are you into?" Ushio asked as they walked down the busy road on the way to her home.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know. Hobbies and things like that" She replied. They came to a stop at a set of traffic lights. A few cars past and the light turned green, they continued walking.

"Dunno really. I used to play rugby. Does that count?"

"Of course. Why don't you play anymore?" She questioned with a puzzled face. She looked him up and down, her eyes landing on his broad shoulders. "You seem to have the build for it" she said as Kaito's cheeks blushed.

"Why are you so bothered about it?" He questioned, trying to stay cool.

"I'm just curious" she replied with a shrug.

"Yeah, well. You do know that curiosity killed the cat right?"

"I've heard that" she said as they both smiled. They came to a small alley. It led to the rundown area of the town, where Ushio would pass through everyday. Takeshi's home also lay past here.

"Don't tell me you live in this part." Kaito said, commenting on the rundown buildings that lay at either side.

"No, I have to come through here to get home" Ushio replied.

"Well. I'd watch out. It can be pretty rough around here."

"I know. It isn't as bad as it used to be though, there was a lot of gang violence back 20 years or so."

"It's still dangerous though. A lot of bums live around here ... like Keshi" He laughed to himself. Ushio gave him a funny look. Kaito shrugged her off; he knew at least Junichiro would appreciate the joke.

"Does your friend live here?" Ushio asked; making an attempt to understand what had just happened.

"Nah, just on the outside of here."

"So he doesn't cause trouble then?" She questioned with a grin, remembering the story Kaito had told her a few days ago involving their principle.

"Not all the time. Trouble usually finds him. Then I have to get him out of it" he sighed.

"What kind of trouble?" She asked.

"We've gotten into a few fights around here. Someone would say something to us and he can't help but to one up them." Kaito shrugged. "Then we have to take care of it. Only me and Keshi though. Juni doesn't really do much" Kaito chortled.

"That's Junichiro right?"

"Yep. Junichiro Akimoto. Why?"

"My friend mentioned him, they're in maths together. She said you were his friend" She remarked. Kaito thought for a second.

"Does she sit next to him?"

"Yup" Ushio smiled.

"And she listens to a lot of music?"

"You have no idea" She said with a giggle. "Does he talk about her a lot?"

"I suppose. He's pretty keen" He whispered.

"So is she" Ushio replied. They looked at each other and an awkward pause followed. They both knew what was going on yet neither of them wanted to mention the elephant in the room. They made their way to the exit of the rundown streets. Takeshi's home was down a path to the left.

"Well, anyways. Takeshi lives down here" He said, pointing.

"Okay. I'll see you on Tuesday then" She stated bluntly as the awkwardness still hovered over them.

"Right" He replied. Kaito turned and made his way to his friend's house. Ushio carried on walking home, thinking of the bizarre conversation that had taken place. Kaito was different, she thought to herself. At that moment she decided she would try to find out more about the boy. With that, Ushio continued on towards her home.

"I'm back from school!" Ushio announced, coming through the door; an old tradition in their household.

"I'm upstairs!" Her mother replied. Ushio placed her school bag down and climbed the stairs. She came to her parent's room, the door was open and inside was Nagisa, rummaging through a box.

"Whatcha doing?" Ushio asked.

"I'm just sorting through some old things." She replied as she pulled out some kind of toy. "Do you remember this?" She asked, handing the toy over to Ushio. It was rather old, chipped and scratched but it was still recognisable. It was a toy robot.

"Oh yeah. This was one of the first things that dad bought me." She smiled. She held it to her chest. "I thought I'd lost it." Glancing over to the box, she looked at her mother. "What else is in there?"

"Just a few photos and tapes. A few things of your dads."

"What time is he home today?"

"He'll be late again." Nagisa sighed.

"He's always late" remarked Ushio.

"I know. I'm afraid it will be like this for a while though until I find another job" Nagisa explained. "As much as I'd like to start working again it's easier said than done."

"Can't you just work with Aki and Sanae?" Ushio asked, sounding a little worried.

"It might come to that if I don't find anything soon" Nagisa gave her daughter a smile, trying to cheer her up. "Enough about that though, how was school?"

"Fine, nothing special."

"And the drama club?"

"It was only me and Kaito today ... it was fun" Ushio laughed.

"Kaito? You're calling him by his first name?" Nagisa asked.

"Yeah, he asked me to." Ushio said. Nagisa looked away from her daughter, hiding her smile.

"What?" Asked Ushio.

"Nothing, nothing" Nagisa replied shaking her off. "Come on let's get dinner started, it's pork cutlet tonight." Ushio nodded and gave a smile. The two exited the room and headed into the kitchen to prepare one of their favourite meals.

**~*3*~**

_**Please, if you are going to write about spoilers in your review, place a spoiler warning at the beginning. If you do not, your review will be removed - Thank you.**_


	4. Junichiro Akimoto

**~*4*~**

The sun crept in through the blinds of the window. It came to a rest over a bed. The person under the covers stirred as a head of red hair popped out from under it. Junichiro's eyes met the sun's rays as he let out a moan. He looked over to his alarm clock; it read 7:56 am. _School in an hour_ ... _better get up_, he thought to himself. He pulled back the covers and brought his legs down to the ground. Stretching with a yawn, Juni looked around his bedroom. It was very tidy, in complete contrast of both of his friend's rooms; it perfectly reflected Juni, clean and tidy ... simple. He walked over to his set of drawers, opening the top one he pulled out some underwear and socks. He placed them neatly on top of his school uniform which lay folded on a chair by his desk. He exited his room and made his way into the bathroom to wash up.

15 minutes later Juni was fully dressed. After making his bed he went downstairs into the kitchen. His mother, Junko, was sat down at the table with his father, Isao. They both had bright red hair that matched Juni's. "Hello son" his father greeted him as Juni walked through the kitchen's arch way.

"Morning sweetie" his mother added.

"Good morning" Juni replied to the both of them.

"School today?" His father asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes dad, like every Saturday it's a half day."

"You're keeping those grades up right?" Isao asked.

"I'm trying" Juni said; rather bluntly.

"Why not have some breakfast?" Suggested his mother.

"I can get it myself mom, its okay."

"No, no. Sit down by your father and I'll make some rice and a cup of tea." Juni sighed and took a seat across from his father as opposed to the side of him. Isao held a newspaper up in front of his face. Juni knew what he would be looking at.

"College requirements are becoming steeper apparently" He said to himself.

"Is that so?" Junko muttered, fixing up a plate of rice. Juni pulled out his phone. Bringing up the  
>message screen he sent a text to Kaito. 'He's at it again, how long are you going to be?' it read. He didn't exactly expect a reply; it wasn't in his friend's nature. He placed the phone back in his pocket. Looking up he met his father's eyes.<p>

"Take it easy on that" he said, "I'm still paying for it."

"I only ever use it to talk to Kaito and Takeshi" Juni stated.

"You're still seeing those two? I've told you they're trouble makers." His father remarked.

"They're good friends to me dad" Juni retorted.

"I don't know about Takeshi" his mother began. "But Kaito is a nice boy, Isao."

"If you say so" he replied.

"Look, just beca-" Juni was cut off by a knock on the door._ Finally_, he thought. He walked out of the kitchen towards the front door. Opening it to reveal Kaito on the over side. The dark hair boy yawned.

"We off?" Kaito asked.

"You're up early" Juni laughed.

"Yeah ... well my attendance isn't gonna sort itself out now is it?" Kaito said.

"That's true!" Juni laughed as he turned to pick up his bag from the bottom of the stairs. He shouted to his parents. "I'm off to school!"

"What about your breakfast?" His mother cried.

"I'll get something later!" He yelled as he shut the door behind him, heading out onto the street.

"I read your text, was he being that bad?" Kaito asked as they made their way down the road to school.

"He never shuts up about it. It's always college this and college that. Your friends are bad, you shouldn't spend time with them" Juni complained. "He never lets me breathe."

"Your moms okay though" Kaito smiled.

"Yeah sure" Juni said quietly.

"What?"

"She never tells him to stop. She just nods along" Juni gave a sigh. "It just seems like they want me out of the house. My dad keeps talking about colleges abroad, in England and America."

"That's good though, isn't it?" Asked Kaito.

"I suppose ..." Juni gave Kaito a smile. "So how are things at yours?" He asked.

"Same old, I don't really wanna talk about it" Kaito stated as Juni replied with a nod. After about 20 minutes of conversation Kaito and Juni came to the school gate.

"We're quite early" Juni began "Keshi will be late right?" He wondered out loud.

"Yep" Kaito replied. "Come on; let's go chill by the trees for a bit." They headed over to the patch of grass which lay beneath a cluster of trees. It was a warm morning for November so Kaito was stretched out on the grass as Juni sat up, his head buried in a book. Soon the school's courtyard became flooded with students, ready to begin the day. 10 minutes passed, Juni was finishing a page of his book when he heard a voice call over.

"Hey geek, whatcha' reading today?" Juni's head rose. It was a common sight, for Juni at least. A large boy was walking up to him accompanied by two other boys.

"Is it a porno?" One of the other two asked, ripping the book from Juni's hands. Juni stayed silent as Kaito shot up.

"Give it back" He demanded.

"Ehh Gaku, it's just some shitty math book that the geek was reading" The boy mocked.

"Give it back!" Kaito shouted. The boy looked towards Kaito and launched the book at him. Kaito dodged it as it nearly connected with his head. The three bullies were laughing, pointing at Juni and Kaito. Juni remained silent still. Kaito dashed forwards, fists raised as his blow met the boys gut. The boy winced in pain. Suddenly the larger boy made a move as the crowd of school kids gathered around, chanting _'Fight! Fight!' _Kaito began trading blows with the larger boy as Juni and the two other boys kept out of the way.

On the other side of the crowd, by the gates a fair haired boy dragged his body in, half asleep. The crowd's voice shook him awake. He ran over to the group of people, trying to make out the figures in the middle. He saw who it was and, as a natural reaction, darted into the fight, tackling the large boy as he did. "Keshi?!" Kaito shouted, shocked. Takeshi got off of the large boy.

"Hey man!" He laughed as the two other boys jumped him. The larger boy got up and charged for Kaito. Juni remained to the side with the crowd, watching his friends defend him.

Ushio and Kumiko made their way towards the school gates. "What's going on?" Kumiko asked as they saw the large crowd of students.

"I think someone's fighting" Ushio replied. Gazing over she noticed a familiar face, Yumi. Her violet hair stood out among the students. "Come on" Ushio said, grabbing Kumiko's hand and pulling her along. They rushed over to the crowd and met Yumi. "Koharu!" Ushio yelled as she tapped Yumi on the back.

"Ushio, Kumiko!" Yumi said as she turned around.

"What's going on?" Ushio asked.

"It's Kaito, he's fighting again" Yumi sighed.

"Again?" Kumiko asked.

"Sure, he always get's into fights" Yumi explained, "You see the big one there?" Yumi asked as she pointed to the larger boy out of the three bullies.

"Yeah" Kumiko nodded.

"That's Gaku, he tends to pick on Kaito's friend a lot, so they never get along" she said as the boys continued to fight. Kaito and Takeshi were managing to hold the three boys off as Juni stayed behind them. Yumi, Ushio and Kumiko made there way to the front of the crowd. Juni looked over and noticed Kumiko staring at him; he hung his head in shame. Ushio was about to cry out when two men hurried over to the crowd of students. Breaking through, a man grabbed Takeshi and Kaito while the other one had a hold of the three other boys.

"Right! Everyone; go to class. Now!" One of the men shouted. The students began to disperse. Yumi gestured for the other two girls to follow her inside. Kumiko's gaze left Juni as she followed. The two men dragged the boys inside as Juni was left alone in the middle of the school yard. He walked over to his math book which lay on the floor, trampled from the hoards of students. Brushing down the book, he placed it in his school bag. Silently, he made his way inside the school. This was a natural occurrence for Juni, the quiet and scared Junichiro Akimoto.

Kaito and Takeshi stood against the wall outside of the staffroom. They had been separated from the other boys who had been taken to their respective homeroom teachers. "Thanks for jumping in" Kaito said.

"It's not like Juni would have done anything" Takeshi replied. Kaito let out a sigh.

"Don't blame him man, it's not his fault."

"Yeah, I know. You'd think he'd be over it all by now though."

"Yeah well, he's different" Kaito replied. The staffroom door swung open as their homeroom teacher, Mr. Miyagi came out.

"Follow me boys" He said as he passed them. They came to a spare classroom. "Fujimoto, wait out here. I'll speak to you after." Takeshi took a seat outside as Kaito followed Mr. Miyagi into the classroom. They sat at a desk; Kaito lay back in his chair, bracing himself. To his surprise his teacher was rather calm. "Why is it always you?" He asked. Kaito looked at him.

"You know why" Kaito mumbled.

"It's always the same excuse; you're always defending your friend."

"It's not my fault."

"Look" Mr. Miyagi began, "you're so close to being expelled Kaito. Do you want to graduate?"

"Is that a trick question?" He retorted.

"Please. For once take this seriously."

"... Yes I want to graduate" He muttered.

"I really like you Kaito, honestly I do. You're a good kid but you always find a way to get into trouble." Mr. Miyagi sighed. "I can't keep sticking my neck out for you."

"I'm sorry" Kaito replied honestly.

"You have to promise me that you're really going to try, one more slip up and you'll be out. Understand?" Kaito nodded at the man's words. "Anyway, how's the drama club treating you?"

"It's actually not that bad, we've only had two meetings but its okay."

"Who knows, you may end up enjoying it" His teacher laughed.

"Yeah sure" Kaito said, hiding his grin.

"And your attendance?"

"I'm attending everyday, on time. I really am trying."

"Good" Mr. Miyagi said, smiling. "Now, send that, delinquent, Takeshi in and get to class. I'll let the principle know that the fight wasn't a big deal. You'll be fine. It can't happen again though."

"Thanks" Kaito said as he walked out of the room. Takeshi was still sat in the chair outside, his head tilted to the side, asleep. Kaito flicked him on the forehead.

"Ow!" Takeshi yelled as he woke.

"Your turn" Kaito laughed. "Good luck" he said.

"Gee, thanks" Takeshi replied in a sarcastic manner. Kaito headed off to his first class of the day as Takeshi dragged himself into the classroom, also bracing himself for what lay ahead.

Juni sat down at his desk, flicking through his math book. It was 11:15 am, Juni's math class was about to be in session. The rest of the students began filling the room, sitting in their assigned seats. The chair next to Juni was pulled out as a girl sat next to him, it was Kumiko. "Hi" She said. Juni gave her a smile as he returned to his book. "So what was this morning about?" She asked, unpacking her bag.

"Nothing" Juni said in a quiet voice. Kumiko examined Juni, noticing his damaged math book.

"What happened to your book then?"

"These guys took it and threw it at Kaito; it got trampled during the fight."

"So that's why it started? Those guys were picking on you?" Kumiko asked. Juni looked up at her, eyes fixed.

"It's not like its surprising okay? It's not a big deal" He said, returning his gaze to his book.

"Well did you tell anyone about it?"

"No. I assume Kaito did."

"Does he always stick up for you like tha-"

"Look; I don't want to talk about it okay?" Juni interrupted. Some of the other students began to stare at them. Seeing this, Juni buried his head deeper into his book, hiding his face.

"Sorry" Kumiko uttered quietly. Juni didn't reply; he just kept on reading.

An hour passed, the lesson was coming to an end and Juni still hadn't spoken to Kumiko. The school bell rang and the students began to pack away their books.

"I'm sorry ..." Juni sighed as Kumiko was about to leave. "I didn't mean to be rude" Kumiko gave him a gentle smile.

"I know" She whispered. She then left the room, walking past two boys who where leaning against the wall outside the classroom, Kaito and Takeshi. Juni sighed and followed.

"Hey man, coming for lunch?" Kaito asked.

"Sure" He said.

"You got a bento right? I'm starving" Takeshi said.

"Not this again" Kaito scowled. Juni laughed as the other two joined him and they headed towards the cafeteria for lunch. This was just an ordinary day for Juni; nothing unusual had happened today, not for him. It was simply an ordinary day in the life of Junichiro Akimoto.

**~*4*~**

_**Please, if you are going to write about spoilers in your review, place a spoiler warning at the beginning. If you do not, your review will be removed - Thank you.**_


	5. Works of Art

**~*5*~**

"Fujimoto!" Mr. Miyagi yelled as he marked the register, no answer. Mr. Miyagi's eyes gazed over to Takeshi's seat. Takeshi's head lay flat on the desk, his body slowly breathing in and out. He was asleep. "Fujimoto!" he repeated. The rest of the class turned their attention to the back of the room, staring at the sleeping Takeshi. "Sakumoto, wake him up" Mr. Miyagi ordered. Kaito leant over to his right, perching over Takeshi. He raised his fist and brought it down upon the wooden lid of Takeshi's desk with a force. A large thud rang in Takeshi's ears as his head shot up.

"Ah! What the hell!" He cried. The other students began to laugh while Kaito slumped back to his seat. Takeshi looked towards the front as he focused on his teacher.

"Fujimoto, are you here or not?" Mr. Miyagi asked. Takeshi gave a worried nod. The students began to settle down as Mr. Miyagi continued to do the register. Takeshi slipped back into his previous position, awake this time. He turned his head to the left.

"Psst Kaito" He whispered. Kaito looked over to his friend.

"What?"

"I've got the stuff" Takeshi continued, keeping his hushed tone.

"What stuff?" He asked.

"You know" Takeshi replied, winking at his friend.

"Oh right" Kaito said, still not sure what Takeshi was referring to. Takeshi gave him a thumbs up as he returned to his snooze. Kaito began to wonder what his friend had meant. _What could he possibly have with him?_ He thought. Then one image entered his mind. It was something he had spoken of a while back, something he said they should try ... weed. Kaito looked back over; Takeshi was fiddling with something in his bag. It must be it, Kaito thought ... sweet.

"Sakumoto?" Mr Miyagi said.

"Here" Kaito replied.

"... And Shima" Mr. Miyagi concluded.

"Here" a boy replied. As their teacher marked the register there was a knock at the classroom door.

"Come in" Mr. Miyagi yelled. The door opened as a student walked in.

"Mr. Miyagi, Yoshino-Sensei sent me to ask for some help."

"With what?" Mr. Miyagi questioned.

"She's placing up an art display" The student explained.

"I'll tell you what; I'll send some students in my stead" Mr. Miyagi jested as he looked around the classroom. A few students offered their help, hands up in the air. Kaito and Yumi were among them. "Okay, Koharu, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Sakumoto." The four students got up from their desks and walked towards the classroom door. "Sakumoto hold on" Mr. Miyagi said as Kaito stopped. "Take Fujimoto with you, he might be of more use to Mrs. Yoshino than to me" Mr. Miyagi laughed. Kaito looked over to Takeshi who had somehow completely fallen asleep again. He walked over and repeated his previous slam on Takeshi's desk. Takeshi jumped up yelling as the class laughed at him once again.

Following the Art student down the hallway, Kaito and Takeshi hung at the back of the group. "When we having it pal?" Kaito asked.

"Huh?"

"You know the stuff in your bag?"

"Oh, lunch I guess. Shall we give some to Juni?" Takeshi asked.

"He won't want any" Kaito laughed.

"True, he'll probably have his own."

"What?" Kaito asked, shocked. Before Takeshi could answer a voice came from in front.

"What are you two doing?" The violet haired girl asked, arms folded, suspicious.

"Nothing Yumi, just talking." Kaito said with an uneasy laugh. Yumi looked at him and turned her gaze to Takeshi.

"You better not be getting him into anymore trouble. I need him for the drama club" Yumi said, rolling her eyes.

"Whatever" Takeshi replied.

"I'm serious, I saw the fight."

"What? That wasn't even me; I jumped in after it had started" Takeshi explained.

"But you were still there right?" Yumi said, wagging her finger at Takeshi.

"Yeah ..." Takeshi replied.

"You attract trouble, keep him out of it."

"Don't worr-" Kaito began, before he was cut off by Takeshi.

"Why are you so bothered?! You in love with the guy?" Takeshi yelled, teasing Yumi with a little rhyme. "Kaito and Yumi sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-" Takeshi felt a blow to his stomach; he fell to the ground, wincing in pain. Yumi's face was bright red, from anger. Her piercing blue eyes glaring at the quivering, fair haired boy. "N ... Ni ... Nice shot" Takeshi whimpered as tears came to the corner of his eyes. Kaito pulled him up off the ground. Yumi's face had regained its normal colour.

"Next time you won't get up" she said with a mischievous smile.

"I'll keep that in mind" Takeshi retorted.

"Hurry up you three!" One of the other students yelled from in front. They continued on, following the others.

After making their way down the stairs the students came to the assembly hall. The large hall would usually be used for services such as enrolment and graduation however; all the seats had been moved revealing just the empty stage. Their footsteps echoed as they made their way to the centre of the room where a few tables lay. There were a few students around the tables, decorating banners and posters. A pretty woman, with short brown hair stood next to them. "Yoshino-Sensei, I've brought some people" announced the Art student.

"At last!" Mrs. Yoshino said with a bright smile beaming on her face. She turned her attention to the five students. "The other students here are creating banners and posters, I'd like you to pair off and pin up the completed ones around the school." She pointed to a large pile of banners to one side.

"But miss; there are only five of us." Yumi stated.

"I'll send someone with you." She turned to her group of students, half of them hadn't even realised that another group had come to help. "Class, does anyone want to help these five put up the banners and posters?" No one raised a hand, except one. "Okazaki, I can always count on you!" Mrs. Yoshino smiled. Ushio came over to join Yumi and Kaito; she gave them a smile as she approached.

"Hey, Ushio! This is a coincidence." Yumi said.

"What are you doing here?" Kaito asked.

"I'm in Yoshino-Sensei's Art class. We're helping with the Founder's Festival."

"What? But that's not 'till like June!" Takeshi remarked.

"It's in February you idiot" Yumi sighed. Kaito chuckled. "It is a bit early to start putting up banners though isn't it?"

"I know but Yoshino-Sensei wanted to prepare early this year. It's a very special day for her. She always brings her little sister."

"How do you know that?" Kaito questioned.

"She's a family friend" Ushio said smiling.

"Get to work guys!" Mrs. Yoshino said in an encouraging manner as she placed them in pairs. The six students headed out to place up what Ushio referred to as 'works of art'. Takeshi and Yumi went one way, Kaito and Ushio another.

Ushio and Kaito made their way down the hallway, placing up posters at every corner. "So did you get hurt?" Ushio asked as they began placing up another poster.

"Huh?"

"I meant in the fight" she said, not looking at him. She was too busy pinning up the poster.

"Oh, no I'm fine thanks" he said, in truth, Kaito felt rather embarrassed. Ushio nodded. Kaito stared at her as she continued to pin another poster across from the previous one. "It wasn't my fault you know" He said.

"So how did it start?" She asked.

"They were picking on Juni, so I stood up to them" Kaito stated. Ushio glanced at him, arms folded. "What?" Kaito asked.

"That's a lot nicer than what I heard."

"What did you hear?" He asked, getting rather annoyed.

"That you jumped them" She said, beginning to walk off to place another poster up, Kaito followed.

"Who the hell said that?" Kaito asked.

"This boy in my English class" Ushio replied, "you wouldn't know him."

"Who?"

"A boy, he's called Sato" Ushio stated, Kaito looked at her as he let out a sigh.

"Yeah, well whatever, what else is new? People lie all the time."

"I'm just sayi-"

"Saying what?" He interrupted.

"That, to others, it's just your word against the people you were fighting" she said.

"So?"

"So, it may look different to others than you're making it out to be" Ushio stated, offering a weak smile. "That's all I'm saying."

"Who the hell are you to judge?" He said in a harsh tone. "You barely know me!" Ushio fell silent. Kaito began walking off. Ushio watched him storm away. What had she done? She thought to herself. She leant against the wall, hanging her head.

"It's not high enough" Takeshi said as Yumi took her hands off of the pinned up poster.

"What?"

"It's not high enough" he repeated. "No one will see it."

"It's at eye level you idiot. You know those things that you use to see? Everyone will see it" she retorted.

"If you say so, just don't blame me when no one comes to this thing."

"Of course people will come. It's the Founder's Festival" Yumi replied.

"Not if they don't see the posters."

"Can you stop being so difficult? It's bad enough that I got stuck babysitting you, now I have to listen to your complaints as well?"

"Who would you rather be babysitting, Kaito?" Takeshi laughed.

"No, I'd rather be with Ushio right now" Yumi said bluntly.

"Who?" Takeshi asked, confused.

"U-shi-o O-ka-za-ki?" She said, emphasising the syllables. Takeshi's face held its blank expression.

"The hell's an Okazaki?"

"You're useless" she said, rolling her eyes as she made her way to the opposite wall, placing up a poster.

"Well?" Takeshi asked.

"Am I well?" Yumi questioned.

"No. I mean, _well_ who is Okazaki?"

"_Ushio_ is the girl who Kaito was paired with. She's in our drama club."

"Oh! Thaaat Okazaki" Takeshi laughed. Yumi looked confused.

"Has he mentioned her?" Yumi asked.

"Eh, once or twice" Takeshi shrugged as he placed up a poster. Yumi studied his handy work for a moment.

"It's too high" Yumi said with a smirk as Takeshi glared back at her.

Kaito was sat down in a chair down a hallway. If anyone had seen him they would more than likely suspect he would be in trouble, any other day they would be correct. Kaito hung his head, annoyed with him self. _Why did I storm off like that? Did I over react?_ He thought to himself. As he was debating with himself as to what he should do, he heard two voices coming from down the hallway. They were arguing. "You're such an idiot Takeshi!" one voice yelled.

"Me?! It was your fault the last one ripped!" Takeshi barked.

"You distracted me!"

"Well yeah, becau-"

"Because of his devilish good looks?" Kaito interrupted as the two came into view.

"Haha! Hey man" Takeshi laughed.

"What are you doing?" Yumi asked. Kaito stretched his arms back, sliding into his chair. He scratched his chin.

"Yanno, just chilling" He replied.

"True" Takeshi remarked, nodding his head.

"Where's Ushio?" Yumi asked him in a serious tone. Kaito gave a shrug. "You don't know?" she asked. Kaito shook his head in response as Takeshi took a seat next to him, also stretching out.

"Come on Yumi. Let's just relax for a bit" Takeshi suggested with a grin.

"I'm seriously going to punch you" She replied bluntly. Takeshi slowly rose from his seat. "Why did you leave her?" She asked, returning her attention to Kaito. Kaito raised his head as his dark eyes met with Yumi's.

"We fell out ... kind of" he muttered.

"Kind of?"

"Yeah, she said something's, I said something's. It happens" Kaito said, rolling his eyes.

"So you just left her to do all the work alone?"

"Yeah ..." Kaito sighed.

"Well, what did she say to make you so upset?" Yumi asked, folding her arms.

"She thought that I started that fight the other day. I don't know who she thinks she is, she doesn't even know me" Kaito replied. Yumi looked at him with a blank expression.

"You got mad at her for that?" She asked. Kaito said nothing, he was beginning to realise how stupid he had been. "You're such a jerk for leaving her like that Kaito. That's really unfair. You need to grow up and stop being so sensitive about this kind of thing. That's why you always get into fights!" She scolded. Kaito had a shocked expression on his face, as did Takeshi.

"Yo ... You just got burned man ... burned by Yumi!" Takeshi chuckled. The next thing Takeshi saw was a fist darting into his face. He went flying to the other side of the room with a scream, falling to the floor in pain.

"I told you" Yumi said proudly.

"I ... I was ... was backing you up" Takeshi muttered as he winced in pain. Yumi shrugged. Looking back towards Kaito she scowled.

"Go find her and apologise!" She ordered. "I'll take cry baby here to the nurse" Kaito sighed as Yumi walked over to Takeshi. She picked him up and began dragging him towards the nurse's office. As they turned the corner Kaito heard them speaking. "You're going to say you fell okay?"

"What?!" Takeshi yelled in shock. Their voices drifted away as Kaito was left alone with Yumi's words.

After searching through a few hallways Kaito turned a corner. At the end of the corridor he saw Ushio, attempting to place up a poster. He began to make his way over. Ushio had attached the bottom of the poster to the wall, she reached on her tip toes to pin the top half up yet it rolled back down, meeting the bottom half of the poster. Ushio attempted to attach it again yet the process repeated itself. On her last try she reached up, expecting it to fall back down she gave up. However, the poster stayed attached. She looked at the top half, in the top left corner a hand was holding the paper up. Her eyes traced the hand, down the arm and her eyes met another pair, Kaito's. He had a slight smile on his face. "Hey" he said in a gentle tone.

"Hi" Ushio replied.

"I'm sorry" they both said together. A silence followed ... then Kaito began to speak.

"I am sorry though, I guess I overreacted a bit" he said

"No, it was me. I shouldn't have judged you" Ushio apologised.

"We're both sorry; shall we leave it at that?" Kaito suggested with a smile.

"That sounds good" Ushio replied, returning the smile. "You're right though, I barely know you and yet I'm acting like you should be some kind of saint" she laughed.

"Well then, why don't we change that?"

"What do you mean?" Asked Ushio, a little confused.

"I mean, we could hang out sometime ... as friends you know?" Kaito asked. Ushio studied him for a moment.

"Wel-"

"Only if you want to" Kaito added.

"You know, I'd really like that." Ushio replied.

"Really?" Kaito asked.

"Yup!" Ushio said in a cheerful tone.

"Cool" Kaito laughed. After reconciling, Ushio and Kaito continued to place up their posters together, covering the walls with these 'works of art' that Ushio was so proudly fond of.

"Keshi!" Kaito yelled as he made his way to the cafeteria's entrance. It was lunchtime, the students had finished placing up the posters and banners throughout the school. The fair haired boy turned around and Kaito was met with a large bruise around Takeshi's left eye. Kaito burst out laughing.

"Shut up man!" Takeshi said, rubbing his eye.

"Does it hurt?" Kaito asked.

"Want me to get Yumi to punch you and we'll see?"

"I think she'd just punch you again pal" Kaito said with a chuckle.

"Whatever! I'll get her back" Takeshi stated.

"Yeah sure ..." Kaito replied.

"Hey guys" a familiar voice called from behind. Takeshi and Kaito turned around to face their friend.

"Hey Juni" Kaito said.

"Wassup bro?" Takeshi asked, giving a thumbs up.

"Why are you extra annoying today?" Kaito asked, Juni laughed at him.

"Tsk, keep that up and you want get any of this" He said, patting his bag.

"Ah man, we having it now?"

"Sure, Juni you got a Bento?" Takeshi asked, turning his head to his friend. Juni replied with a nod.  
>"Great! Let's go outside."<p>

The three boys sat down near the far end of the school yard, behind a few trees and dumpsters.  
>"It's filthy out here" Juni remarked, examining the overflowing garbage bags and muddy terrain.<p>

"Why do we have to sit here?"

"We don't want to be seen man" Kaito replied.

"I still don't get that" Takeshi said.

"Just get it out" Kaito ordered.

"Okay, okay" Takeshi replied. Juni took a seat on a cleaner patch of grass and brought out his bento. Takeshi unzipped his bag and pulled out a container.

"Sweet" Kaito smiled. Taking off the lid Kaito peered inside. His eyes met with what looked to be several soft brown rolls. "Keshi ..."

"Yeah?" His friend asked.

"The hell is this?"

"Anpan" Takeshi smiled. Kaito's expression went blank. "What?" Takeshi asked.

"I thought you had Weed?!" Kaito shouted.

"You guys were going to do drugs?" Juni asked with a mouthful of rice.

"No you idiot" Takeshi replied, turning back to Kaito; he spoke. "I've told you before I'm not trying it!" Takeshi yelled.

"Drugs are really bad for you" Juni continued, mumbling through his food.

"I owed you this, I ate the anpan the other day remember?"

"Oh yeah ..." Kaito replied.

"They can cause paranoi-"

"Juni, shut up!" Takeshi snapped. Juni went quite.

"Shit man, I'm sorry. I didn't realise" Kaito apologised.

"No worries."

"We don't have to try it if you don't want" Kaito suggested.

"It's just because of my dad ... okay?" Takeshi sighed.

"Sure man, I honestly wasn't that bothered anyway" Kaito said, placing a hand on Takeshi's shoulder.

"I'm glad you're not doing it" Juni remarked.

"Yeah ... come on man. Let's share out the anpan." Kaito smiled, picking out a few rolls of the bean bread and giving one to Takeshi. Takeshi smiled back and began to take a bite. Juni looked around the area.

"Just one thing guys" he said.

"What is it?" Kaito asked.

"Can we please move away from these dumpsters?" Juni asked. Kaito and Takeshi burst out laughing as Juni backed away from the garbage bags.

**~*5*~**

_**Please, if you are going to write about spoilers in your review, place a spoiler warning at the beginning. If you do not, your review will be removed - Thank you.**_


	6. The Grand Scheme Of Things

**~*6*~**

It had been one week since Ushio Okazaki had joined the drama club, it was still struggling. Ushio and her 'friend', Kaito, had designed a poster which Yumi Koharu had copied and placed up around the school in an attempt to recruit new members. No luck. "Well what are we doing today?" Kaito asked as he lifted his head from its previously slumped position. Ushio, Kaito and Yumi were sat around the small table that sat in the middle of the room. It was a Wednesday, which meant a drama club meeting for the three of them.

"We need to start planning our performance for the founder's festival" Yumi replied.

"Don't we need more members first?" Kaito questioned.

"We may as well get a head start" Ushio said.

"Fair point" Kaito replied. He looked towards Yumi and scanned her up and down. "You look different today" he stated, Yumi gave him a stern look.

"Did you change your hair?" Ushio asked as Yumi nodded. Her usual violet, long straight hair had been pulled to its side and fell down her right side in a long pony tail style, held at the top with a pink hair bobble accompanied with a black head band towards the front of her head.

"Does it look okay?" She asked, straightening her headband.

"It's really nice" Ushio said smiling, "isn't it Kaito?"

"Yeah ... it looks good" He added. Yumi smiled at him.

"Thanks, I was getting bored with my old style so I thought I'd change it up" she looked at Ushio.

"You definitely suit it like that" she said pointing at her soft, straight hair.

"I never bother with it" Ushio laughed.

"It looks nice though, really pretty."

"Thanks ..." Ushio said, slightly blushing. Kaito let out a cough.

"I never thought I'd say this but please can we talk about drama instead?" He moaned. The two girls laughed at him as they began to discuss the matter at hand.

"Right we need to focus!" Yumi said boldly.

"Uhuh" Kaito replied.

"Have either of you got any ideas for a play? Something you might want to perform?" Yumi continued.

"Oh boy, I've always wanted to perform Hamlet!" Kaito said excitedly.

"Really?" Both Ushio and Yumi asked, astonished.

"... No. Honestly I don't care what we do. It's up to you guys" He smiled, lying back in his chair. Yumi placed her hands together, her lips pursed against them, thinking.

"You know, I'm not too fussed either" Ushio began. "You decide Koharu" she suggested. Yumi's eyes looked up.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yup" Ushio nodded.

"Great! Well I have a fe-" Yumi was cut off by the sound of her phone ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket and glanced at the screen. "Oh ... sorry I have to take this."

"Sure" Kaito said, flapping his hand. Yumi made her way out of the club room and slid the door shut behind her.

"Who do you think it was?" Ushio asked Kaito.

"No idea but it seemed important" He replied. Ushio nodded at him as they both stayed quiet, trying to listen to half the conversation outside.

After a few minutes Yumi came bursting into the room. "I'm so sorry guys, I can't stay!" She yelled in a panic as she quickly packed her things away.

"Why not?" Ushio asked; a little worried.

"Remember that audition I had last week? I got a call back the other day but it's been moved."

"To now?"

"An hour, I have to go!" Yumi cried, turning her back on Kaito and Ushio and running out the room.

"Well ... that escalated quickly" Kaito sighed.

"Definitely" Ushio replied.

"Seems pretty typical to be honest."

"Yup" She uttered.

"So ... we have absolutely nothing to do now" Kaito laughed. "She seems to be making a habit of it."

"Of what?"

"Leaving us here" he said. Ushio and Kaito looked at each other as a silence followed.

"Oh come on! Tell me you're not happy we get to go home early!" Kaito bellowed as he and Ushio made their way through the almost empty school. Ushio shook her head.

"It isn't that, it's just I feel that we're wasting time."

"All we ever do is waste time here" He laughed.

"Kaito?" Ushio said.

"Huh?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure" He replied.

"Do you like this school?" Ushio asked in a hopeful voice.

"What?"

"Hikarizaka Private ... do you like it?" She repeated.

"Why?" He asked, confused.

"You never really seem that happy here" she sighed.

"Well, it's school. I mean who likes school?" He let out a chuckle.

"I suppose" she said; going quiet.

"... Do you?"

"Yep. I think I'm going to be sad when we leave" Ushio said softly. Kaito said nothing; he just gave her a slight nod. "Kaito, do you remember the other day, when we walked home together?"

"Yeah."

"I told you that my friend was keen on yours, you said the same to me." She stated.

"I remember ..." He replied.

"Did you tell him?" She asked.

"No, I didn't think it was my place. I didn't know how Juni would react anyway" Kaito laughed, Ushio returned a smile. "What about you?"

"No. I was going to but I ended up thinking the same as you" she replied. They came out of the school into the courtyard. Ushio looked over to where she and Kumiko would often eat their lunch, she had a thought. "Kaito, what are you doing for lunch tomorrow?" She asked.

"Probably nothing, why?"

"Well" She began. "I have a plan" Ushio said as she began to fill Kaito in on her rather genius scheme.

"Okay, let me get this straight." Kaito said. "You want to get our two friends together?"

"Yep" Ushio replied.

"My friend, Junichiro Akimoto and your friend Kumiko?"

"Yes!" Ushio laughed.

"... Why?"

"Well, I don't know about Akimo-"

"Juni" Kaito interrupted. "It's Juni."

"_Juni_, I don't know about Juni but I think it would be good for Kumiko. Don't you think the same for him?" She asked.

"Yeah ... I guess" he sighed. "But I don't think we should get involved. I mean we shouldn't push them into something like that."

"That's why we don't" she smiled.

"Talk me through it again." Kaito said. Ushio let out a sigh and began to repeat her plan to him.

"Okay, so tomorrow you and Juni will come and have lunch with me and Kumiko. We'll get them comfortable talking to each other."

"But they talk in class." Kaito muttered.

"About maths."

"Okay, fair enough" Kaito said, rolling his eyes.

"We'll do the same on Friday as well but after about 10 minutes we'll say that we've forgotten about a drama meeting we were supposed to go to. We'll leave them two alone and hopefully something will happen" Ushio finished, folding her arms proudly.

"That doesn't seem a lot to go on, just hoping something will happen" Kaito muttered.

"I know but it's our best chance, hopefully something _will_ happen" Ushio said, with a big smile on her face. Kaito sighed and shook his head.

"Fine ... I'll do it. I still don't think it'll work though" stated Kaito.

"As long as you're in" Ushio replied. Kaito gave a nod as Ushio replied to him with a thumbs up, happy that her scheme was going as planned.

Ushio had made her way through the rough part of her town, out past the alley way she often cut through. A few minutes later she had come to her front door. A car was parked outside her house. It wasn't her father's van, so there was only one person left, Aki. She opened the door, walking in; she placed her bag on a coat rack and walked into the kitchen. Nagisa, Sanae and Akio were sat around the kitchen table, drinking tea. "Hey kiddo!" Akio bellowed as Ushio made her way into the kitchen.

"Hello sweetheart" Sanae said with a sweet smile on her face. Ushio greeted them as Nagisa poured her a cup of tea.

"How come you're here?" Ushio asked as her mother sat back down.

"What? Can't we just stop by and say hello?" Akio asked.

"What? No, I wasn't saying that."

"He's only teasing you" Sanae laughed.

"Yeah I'm used to it" Ushio replied rolling her eyes. Akio gave a sigh.

"Just like the punk, you can't take a joke" Akio sighed.

"You said you'd stop calling Tomoya that!" Nagisa said, glaring at her father.

"My dear daughter, you are just the same" he laughed. Ushio and Nagisa both folded their arms. Akio let out another sigh. "Fine, I'm sorry" He said.

"Good" Ushio and Nagisa said together.

"Aren't you going to tell Ushio?" Sanae asked, looking towards Nagisa.

"Tell me what?" Ushio asked.

"Well, I finally got another job!" Nagisa smiled.

"That's great mom! Where at?"

"Where d'you think kiddo?" Akio grinned.

"You're back at the bakery?" Ushio asked.

"Yup" Nagisa smiled.

"Anything we can do to help" Sanae said. Ushio smiled at her family, they had always looked out for each other.

"That's great" she said smiling.

"Anyway, how's drama going?" Akio asked.

"Oh yes, Akio told me about it, I guess I missed you when you came over the other day" Sanae laughed.

"We all know why" Ushio said, looking towards her grandfather.

"Hey, I'm only human" Akio huffed.

"That you are Aki" Ushio retorted as her grandmother laughed.

"Well you gonna tell us?" Akio asked, in reference to his previous question.

"It's good. The club rep isn't there a lot but Kaito and I get some work done."

"Kaito?" Akio asked.

"Kaito Sakumoto, he's one of Ushio's friends" Nagisa said.

"And you're calling him by his first name?" Sanae asked.

"He asked me to. That what he likes to be called is all" Ushio stated. Her mother and grandparents all went quiet. Ushio's gaze shifted between the three. "What?!" She yelled.

"_Nothing_" The three of them said together. Ushio rolled her eyes at her relatives as they continued to drink their tea.

**~*6*~**

_**Please, if you are going to write about spoilers in your review, place a spoiler warning at the beginning. If you do not, your review will be removed - Thank you.**_


	7. As His Eyes Met Hers

**~*7*~**

The gloomy November morning lingered over the busy town of Hikarizaka. A small shower of rain was falling down as, school bag in hand, Kaito made his way to his friend's home. Passing through the tidy garden he came to the front door. Yawning, he placed his fist against it and knocked. After a few seconds the door swung open as Kaito's eyes met the bright and cheerful face of his friend, Juni. "Good morning Kaito" he said. Kaito let out a grunt in reply. "I'm glad to see you're still keeping your attendance up, my friend" Juni laughed.

"Are you taking the piss?" Kaito asked with a tired look on his face.

"I wouldn't dream of it" replied Juni as he closed the front door behind him. The two began to exit the front garden to make their way to school. Juni kept up his cheerful persona, Kaito thought this was highly unusual.

"Why are you so happy?" Kaito questioned after a few silent minutes.

"Huh?"

"Why are you so happy?" He repeated. Juni gave a confused look at his friend; scratching the top of his head he brushed his fingers through his crop of red hair.

"It is Thursday isn't it?" Juni asked in a sarcastic tone.

"You're asking me the day of the week?" Kaito questioned, "I don't even know my Maths book from my English book. Hell, I don't even own a Maths book."

"Okay ... but it is Thursday. Remember what you told me last night?" Juni asked, as if the answer was obvious. Kaito began searching his otherwise lazy brain as he settled on a thought.

"Oh crap, yeah" he uttered. The previous night Kaito had informed his friend about their 'lunch date' today with Ushio and Kumiko. Juni had expressed his excitement over the phone, much to Kaito's annoyance. "You're really that happy about it? Aren't you nervous?" Kaito asked.

"Maybe a little but I'm definitely more happy than not" Juni replied.

"You really like her a lot then?"

"Well ... yeah" Juni smiled.

"Cool man" Kaito replied. "Just remember, don't tell Keshi about it."

"What are we supposed to do if he asks us where we're going? I mean we always spend lunch  
>together."<p>

"I dunno; we'll slip out before he notices" Kaito laughed.

"I still think it's unfair to him, can't we just ask him along?" Juni asked, already knowing what his  
>friend would say.<p>

"You know what he's like. He'll get an idea or two."

"I suppose" Juni sighed. Continuing their walk, Kaito looked over at his friend; he knew Juni was far too kind to just cast aside their only other friend like this.

"Well, Ushio just said to invite _you_, I mean you know Kumiko pretty well, I think she just wants us to get to know each other a bit more is all. I'm sure Keshi can come after we've done this a few times" he said attempting to cheer his friend up. "Okay?"

"Yeah, sounds good" Juni said, smiling, as they continued their early morning journey to school.

"Aren't you going to tell me why?" Kumiko asked as Ushio grabbed her bag from under her desk. The clock had just turned 12:00 pm and it was time for lunch.

"Does there need to be a reason to?" Ushio replied.

"It just seems a little bit out of the blue is all."

"It's only lunch Kumi, there's nothing else to it" Ushio said, offering a smile.

"But there has to be some reason. Are you sure you're not trying to set something up?" Kumiko questioned, trying to suss out her friend.

"What do you mean?" Ushio asked as she felt a nervous sweat coming on, _have I been figured out?_ She thought to herself.

"Well, I told you last week about Juni, now we're having lunch with him and his friend" Kumiko replied, raising an eyebrow. "It's just a little bit fishy."

"Are you going to drop this?"

"No, probably not" Kumiko laughed. Ushio rolled her eyes. "Don't do that, you always do that" Kumiko said. Ushio let out a sigh. "And that ..."

"Fine, if I tell you though you have to promise me that you won't say anything!" Ushio pleaded.

"Obviously" Kumiko replied. Ushio had to be quick, she wasn't going to say the real reason, and she had to think of something; fast. Suddenly a thought entered her mind out of nowhere. "I ... I like his friend" Ushio said.

"His friend? You mean Sakumoto?" Kumiko asked; she was a little shocked.

"Yeah, I have a crush on him. I thought that since you like Junichiro it would be a good excuse for me to see him" she lied.

"Ushio! This is great!" She yelled.

"Shhh, lower your voice" Ushio whispered, checking to see if anyone was listening in.

"We can double date" Kumiko whispered back.

"... Yeah sure" Ushio replied, thinking of the mess she had just put herself in.

"I never thought you'd like him to be honest" Kumiko said.

"Why not?" Ushio asked.

"Well, he's quite good looking sure but your personalities seem to be the opposite."

"We do have some things in common though ... you never know" Ushio said, truthfully quite disheartened by Kumiko's words.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'd be great together though" Kumiko said, smiling.

"As would you and Junichiro" Ushio replied, giving her a nod. "Come on" Ushio said, "they're probably waiting for us." They exited the classroom and began to make their way to the school courtyard.

The lunch bell rang and Kaito began to rise from his seat. "Hey man, are we off to the cafeteria?" A voice from his right asked. Kaito looked over, it was Takeshi.

"Uh, yeah man sure" Kaito replied.

"Cool. Cool, cool, cool" Takeshi smiled as the two of them made their way out of their class. A few moments later they came to the cafeteria's entrance. Takeshi looked over to the red headed boy who was leant against the wall, bento in hand. "Yo, Juni!" He called. Juni walked over to them.

"H-hey guys" he said.

"What's up with you?" Asked Takeshi.

"N-nothing" Juni replied with an uneasy laugh.

"Okay then, I see you're prepared as usual" Takeshi laughed, pointing at Juni's bento. "Kaito we getting some food, you got money yeah?" He asked.

"Sure man, here" Kaito said, handing his friend some money.

"Cool. I'll go get some anpan or something" Takeshi said heading off to the queue.

"Well, this is unusual" Kaito remarked.

"Huh?" Takeshi said, turning back around to face his friends.

"You offering to get the food."

"Well you're paying man" Takeshi said, giving a thumbs up and heading back to the queue. Juni looked at his friend with a look on his face that Kaito knew too well.

"Don't worry pal, he'll be fine, I gave him some money" Kaito said, pulling Juni out of the cafeteria with him. "Let's go!" Kaito and Juni made there way out, leaving the completely unsuspecting Takeshi behind.

Kaito and Juni stood under an outside archway by the school, seeking shelter from the rain. "Looks like lunch is off" Kaito sighed. Suddenly a voice called from behind the two boys.

"Kaito!" They turned around, it was Ushio and Kumiko.

"Oh, hey" Kaito said as he greeted them.

"Oh, erm Kaito, this is Kumiko, Kumiko this is Kaito" she said, introducing the two.

"Hi" Kumiko said.

"Hey" Kaito replied. "Ah, yeah Ushio, this is Juni, Juni this is Ushio ... you already know Kumiko" he laughed. Ushio and Juni greeted each other.

"Now is it Juni, Junichiro or Akimoto?" She asked as Kaito rolled his eyes at her.

"Erm, just Juni is fine" he laughed.

"It's Kumiko-Chan for me, if you wouldn't mind" Kumiko said, looking towards Kaito.

"Kumiko-Chan? Quite a mouthful isn't it?" He jested as a silence followed. "Erm! Not that there's anything wrong with that."

"What would you have it be?" Kumiko asked him.

"Aww, erm, I dunno. How about, _Kumi-Chan_? That's easier to say ..." Kaito said, he saw Ushio give him a scowl out of the corner of his eye as Juni remained quiet, Kaito knew he was being quite rude.

"Kumi-Chan ... Kumi-Chan" Kumiko repeated. "You know, I actually quite like that" she said with a smile.

"You do/Really?" Ushio and Kaito both asked.

"Yes, it's nice" Kumiko said. Kaito turned to his friend who was still keeping quiet.

"Do you like it Juni?" He asked patting him on the back, Juni's head shot up.

"Of course I do!" He laughed; the three others looked rather uncomfortable at this  
>point.<p>

"So ... yeah, looks like the rain has ruined our plans for eating out here" Kaito remarked.

"I know where we can eat!" Ushio stated.

"Where?" Kaito asked.

"The drama room, no one will be there."

"True ... well lead the way!" Kaito said with a grin. Ushio and Kumiko began walking back inside as Kaito and Juni followed behind. Kaito pulled Juni in close as he whispered to him. "You need to relax man."

"I know; I'm just nervous ... I can't believe she liked the nickname that you gave her" Juni sighed.

"Aw, man don't get jealous, Kumi-_Chan_ is your girl, not mine" he said with a wink.

"Well, I wouldn't call her _mine_ but I get your point. Thanks Kaito" Juni smiled.

"No problem" Kaito whispered as the four continued on their way to the drama room.

The large door swung open as Kaito, Ushio, Juni and Kumiko all walked into the drama room. Ushio and Kumiko took a seat at the table in the middle of the room. Kaito and Juni followed. "Well, this is where the magic happens" Kaito laughed as he pulled out a chair.

"A little small isn't it?"Juni said, taking a look around.

"Very funny" Kaito replied.

"Funny?"

"Not at all" Kaito said.

"What?" Juni asked, confused.

"Are you two going to join us?" Ushio asked.

"Sure" Kaito replied as he and Juni sat down. Juni placed his bento on top of the table along with Ushio's and Kumiko's. The three opened their boxes as they each pulled out a pair of chop sticks. Kumiko looked over to Kaito who was laid back in his chair.

"Aren't you eating?" She asked him. Kaito's head rose up from its slouched position.

"Huh? Nah, I gave a friend some money today ... I also _don't_ get bentos made" he said, sounding rather judgemental of Kumiko's premade lunch.

"Which is why I came prepared" Juni said.

"As always" Kaito replied laughing. Juni shook his head. From his bag he pulled out a handkerchief and a second pair of chopsticks. He doubled over the handkerchief and placed several balls of rice and sushi pieces onto it. He then laid the chopsticks next to the makeshift meal.

"There you go" Juni said.

"Really? Thanks man, you're too kind" Kaito laughed as he picked up his chopsticks. Juni looked up towards Kumiko. He smiled as his eyes met hers.

"That's really nice" she said as Juni blushed.

"Yeah! Juni's always looking out for me and Keshi when it comes to the bentos" Kaito laughed as he placed his arm around Juni, attempting to big him up. "To tell you the truth I was kinda hungry."

"Keshi?" Kumiko asked.

"He's our friend" Juni replied "... He was in the fight the other day."

"Oh, right" Kumiko muttered.

"Yeah, he's always good for back up" Kaito laughed, "the guy just comes running in!"

The four continued eating their meal as an eerie atmosphere filled the room. No one really knew what to say. It was an awkward situation for all of them. Ushio knew it couldn't stay like this. Slyly, she managed to catch Kaito's eye. She widened her eyes and tilted her head, motioning for him to say something. He replied with a nod. "So ... Kumi-Chan ... Juni. You guys are in the same maths group right?"

"Uhuh" Juni mumbled through his mouthful of food.

"That's right" Kumiko confirmed.

"I can't imagine what the advanced set is like; I can barely handle the bottom set" Kaito laughed.

"It's hard, for instance there's tri-" Kumiko began to explain to Kaito, who's mind began to wander. He wasn't particularly interested in the conversation but he kept reminding himself, he was doing this for Juni ... and for Ushio. "-rely gives us a break, so you really have to pay attention and keep up to the work."

"Oh, yeah, pay attention" Kaito nodded.

"How do you find it?" Ushio asked Juni.

"He's brilliant at it" Kumiko commented as Juni smiled. Kaito and Ushio also shared a smile, knowing that her plan was beginning to work; the two were starting to loosen up.

"So are you though" Juni replied.

"Come on Juni, you're probably the top of the class" she said, complementing him.

"Thanks" he said "... but honestly, you keep me focused in those lessons" he continued as Kumiko had a slight blush cover her cheeks.

Half an hour had past, the conversation was going well. The four had spoken about a lot of things, the drama club, math class, hobbies, teachers etc. It was safe to say they were all having a good time together. Ushio was very proud of her plan; so far it seemed that she and Kaito were pulling it off. Suddenly the school bell rang, concluding their lunch. "Well, I guess that's it" Kaito said as the four of them began to pack up their things. Ushio and Kumiko made their way over to the door.

"This was really nice" Kumiko said, smiling at the two boys.

"Yeah ... It was" Juni said.

"Same time tomorrow?" Ushio asked.

"Sure" the two boys replied.

"In here?" Juni asked.

"Well, if it's sunny, we'll eat outside in the courtyard yeah?" Kaito suggested, winking at Ushio.

"Yup!" Ushio said. In her head she hoped it would turn out to be sunny, otherwise their 'forgotten' drama club meeting wouldn't be able to happen. "Well, see you guys tomorrow!" She said as she and Kumiko waved goodbye, leaving the drama room. Juni was finishing packing up his things when he turned to Kaito.

"I didn't act like an idiot did I?" He asked. Kaito's smile moved into a frown.

"What? No way! You were great man; Kumi-_Chan _seemed to really like you."

"You think so?" Juni asked, hopeful.

"Of course, did you see the way she was looking at you?" Kaito grinned.

"I ... I think I want to ask her out" Juni uttered quietly. Kaito's eyes lit up.

"Did I just hear that? You want to ask her out?"

"Yeah."

"On a date?" Kaito asked. Juni nodded. "Do it" his friend said.

"Do you think it's a good idea?"

"Yes! Do it tomorrow, after lunch ... or if you get some alone time, just do it. She'll say yes" he said with a grin.

"I hope so."

"Dude, I'm so happy for you!" Kaito yelled; his face beaming as he placed his arm around his friend's shoulders. They began to make their way out of the club room together when Juni stopped and turned to Kaito.

"Ushio was looking at you the same way you know" he said. Kaito raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah ... okay man" he laughed, Juni joined him and the two walked out of the room together, laughing and excited about the hopeful future.

**~*7*~**

_**Please, if you are going to write about spoilers in your review, place a spoiler warning at the beginning. If you do not, your review will be removed - Thank you.**_


	8. Confessions

**~*8*~**

Kaito and Juni made their way down one of the school's hallways. The bell had just rang; concluding their lunch and their 'date' with Ushio and Kumiko. The two were discussing the previous event when a figure met them head on. It collided with Kaito sending him spiralling to the floor, Juni jumped back, dodging their attacker. After coming to his senses Kaito's head shot up and he was met with the face of his friend, Takeshi. "What the hell?!" Kaito yelled as Juni offered him a hand, pulling him up.

"That's my line!" Takeshi retorted. "You guys ditched me!"

"What?" Kaito asked.

"You left me while I was buying our lunch!" Takeshi shouted, waving his arms around franticly. Kaito had to think quickly, he didn't want to tell Takeshi the real reason he and Juni had left him behind. Suddenly Juni spoke up.

"We're sorry Keshi, we went and got a seat and you hadn't come back. We thought that _you _had left us" Juni lied as Kaito looked on at him; admittedly he was quite impressed with the red headed boy. "We were just as angry at you, after all, Kaito did give you his money."

"Really?" Takeshi asked.

"Yeah, we had wondered where you had gone off to so we went looking for you" Juni replied.

"I ... I guess I must have overlooked you guys in the cafeteria when I left to look for you."

"You were looking for us?" Kaito asked.

"Yeah I looked everywhere, the bathrooms, behind the dumpsters, the courtyard." _The courtyard_,  
><em>thank god it had rained!<em> Kaito thought to himself.

"We must have been a few steps in front of you then" Juni laughed, attempting to calm the mood.

"Yeah ... sorry guys" Takeshi apologised.

"No problem!" Kaito said as he flicked Takeshi on the back of his ear.

"Ow!"

"Pay back, don't tackle me again" Kaito laughed.

"Yeah ..." Takeshi mumbled.

"Well, class is starting; we better get a move on" Kaito announced.

"Sure, I'll see you guys later" Juni said as he gave Kaito the look that he knew too well. Juni made his way down the corridor and onto his next class.

"What was with that look?" Takeshi asked.

"What look?"

"That Juni just gave you ... his 'I've got something to hide/I'm really worried' look."

"I dunno man" Kaito replied. The two stayed quiet for a moment, Takeshi wasn't usually this suspicious of his friends. "Anyways, what class is it next?"

"Erm, Science I think" Takeshi muttered. The two boys looked at each other, "skip it?"

"Skip it" Kaito confirmed as they began walking off. "Oh, wait" Kaito sighed.

"What?"

"I have to attend my lessons remember?"

"I hate the new you." Takeshi said bluntly.

"Yeah ... me too" Kaito replied as he and his friend continued walking off, this time to attend their next class of the day.

"You thought it went okay then?" Ushio asked as she and Kumiko made their way down the road home.

"Yes, that's the seventh time you've asked me in the past twenty minutes" Kumiko replied. Ushio twiddled her thumbs as she looked up to Kumiko who was facing straight ahead.

"Do you like him then?" She asked.

"Again, yes" Kumiko said.

"Good" she said as they continued to make their way down the road.

"And Kaito?" Kumiko asked.

"What?"

"What about Kaito? How do you feel about him?" She added, smiling at her friend.

"Oh, erm yeah" she replied.

"Yeah?" Kumiko questioned.

"Yup" Ushio nodded. Kumiko knew her friend too well. She didn't push the matter, for that nod would be the best answer she could get out of Ushio.

The sun rose as it made its way through Kumiko's curtains, stretching out over her room. It fell over her face as her bright blue eyes slowly opened. She lay there for a moment, relishing at the memory of yesterdays lunch with Junichiro as a smile appeared across her face. She sat up in her bed, _same today_ she thought to herself, _another lunch with Juni_. She began to grow nervous thinking of him as a thought ran through her mind, one she instantly dismissed. Of course Junichiro wouldn't be interested in her, would he? After all, they were just friends, yet she did hope for more. She shook the feeling off and made her way over to the other side of the room. Searching through her CD rack she pulled out a case and opened it, revealing a disk from inside. She pressed a button on her stereo and the top popped open. Placing the disk inside and hitting the play button a relaxing piano medley began to fill the room. Kumiko stood there, nodding her head to the calming tune as she began to get ready for school.

After getting ready, Kumiko made her way down the stairs to prepare her breakfast and lunch. Her parents were out of the house, they often went away for days at a time on business trips yet she made do by herself. She grabbed her bento box from the top of the sink and began dishing out the rice and fish she had prepared the previous night. A cry came from behind Kumiko, as she turned around she saw her pet cat, Bento. "Good morning Bento" she said as the cat gave a cheerful meow in reply. "Are you hungry?" She asked as Bento brushed up against her leg. Kumiko opened a cupboard and brought out a small tin. She poured the contents into Bento's bowl and the feline happily ate his breakfast. "Is that tasty?" She asked the cat, who simply continued to enjoy its meal. Kumiko continued her preparations as a knock came from the front door. She made her way over and opened it. Ushio was stood outside; a large smile was spread across her face.

"Good morning Kumi!" She said, greeting her friend.

"Morning, are you coming in?" Kumiko asked.

"Sure" Ushio replied as she stepped inside, slipping off her school shoes. "Something smells good" Ushio said as the two walked into the kitchen.

"That's Bento's breakfast" Kumiko laughed.

"Oh, good morning Bento" Ushio said as she knelt down to pet him. Now, if this was any other cat it would simply accept the attention of a loving human ... but no, this was not just any other cat, this was Kumiko's cat Bento. Bento saw the out stretched hand moving towards him and in a quick flash; he ducked under it and shot up on to the kitchen counter, hissing at Ushio. Ushio let out a sigh "he still hates me."

"He's still getting used to you" Kumiko laughed.

"Yeah right" Ushio muttered as Bento returned to his dish. Kumiko once again continued to prepare her food. "Are your parents out?" Ushio asked.

"Yes, they should be back home tonight though, they've been in Tokyo for a few days."

"I see" Ushio replied.

"Okay are you ready for school?" Kumiko asked as she placed her bento box in her bag.

"What about your breakfast?"

"I'll eat it on the way" Kumiko said, smiling.

"Someone's eager" Ushio laughed as Kumiko blushed.

"Oh, be quiet. Let's go" she replied as they made their way to the front door.

"Bye bye Bento!" Ushio yelled into the kitchen, the cat let out another hiss as Ushio rolled her eyes and the two headed out to start their day.

"Oi, oi, oi! Sakumoto!" Takeshi bellowed as he walked over to his friend's desk. Kaito was half asleep. "Sakumoto! Wake up!" He yelled, Kaito's head shot up.

"Sorry Miyagi-Sensei I-"

"Gotcha!" Takeshi laughed.

"Dick" Kaito said bluntly.

"Pay back" Takeshi laughed. Kaito sighed at his friend.

"Yeah ... let's go for some lunch" Kaito replied. Takeshi and Kaito made their way to the cafeteria's entrance; Juni was no where to be seen.

"Where's Juni?" Takeshi asked, "He's here today right?"

"Yeah, he must be running late from class."

"That aint like him" Takeshi said.

"Yo Keshi, go and get some food." Kaito suggested.

"What about Juni?" Takeshi asked.

"I'll wait for him here" Kaito placed his hand in his pocket, "here, get something."

"Anpan?"

"Nah ... nikuman" Kaito said.

"What? I didn't know they served that!" Takeshi yelled.

"Just started" Kaito replied.

"We got enough?" Takeshi questioned, counting the money in his hand.

"Enough for two."

"Okay" Takeshi said. Turning around, his eye's met an incredibly long queue stretching out from the counter, the very place the pork buns were sold. "Oh come on" Takeshi moaned. He looked towards his friend. "Don't ditch me. Stay here okay and I'll try and be quick, yeah?" He said. Kaito nodded and Takeshi gave him a thumbs up. _That should take him a while_ Kaito thought to himself. He looked around, keeping an eye out for Juni.

A few minutes later Juni came over to him, dragging his body along. "Jesus, what's wrong with you?" Kaito asked.

"I ... I can't do it. I'm too ... nervous" he said, breathing heavily.

"Come on! You were so up for it" Kaito replied. He looked over to the long line of students; Takeshi had made his way to the middle of them. "Right, we're off" Kaito announced, grabbing Juni and pulling him along.

They came out to the same archway they had stood under the day before. "What the hell happened?" Kaito asked as Juni breathed heavily in and out.

"I ... I was speaking to Kumiko, in math class. You know ... about lunch today?" He stuttered. "I- I, well, she said that she was really looking forward to it and that she really liked spending time with me."

"... And?" Kaito asked.

"My heart sunk, I got really nervous and I thought I was going to be sick" He sighed.

"Dude ... that's bad" Kaito laughed.

"I excused myself from the lesson, I didn't go back until it had finished to collect my things."

"Which is why you were late?"

"Yeah ..." Juni nodded. Suddenly someone tapped Juni on the shoulder from behind; he spun around to see Ushio and Kumiko. Juni jumped back with an uneasy laugh.

"Are you okay?" Kumiko asked, "you just disappeared in maths."

"Oh! Haha, yeah ... just didn't feel well."

"Are you okay now?" She asked him, with a worried expression on her face.

"Yeah" Juni said nodding. Ushio looked past her friends, noticing the bright weather she smiled.

"It's sunny today! Let's eat out here!" She suggested. Kaito nodded as Ushio lead everyone over to a dry patch of grass under a cluster of trees. The four of them sat down and brought out their bentos from their bags. Again, Kaito had nothing with him. "Are you empty handed everyday?" Ushio laughed.

"Pretty much" Kaito said, smiling. Ushio nodded and began to place some of her food onto a handkerchief.

"Erm, I'll gi-" Juni began before he was cut off.

"Don't worry, I've more than enough" Ushio said.

"Only if you're sure" Kaito added. Ushio nodded and handed him the food. "Thanks" he said.

"It's fine" Ushio smiled. She looked to her left to see Kumiko's face sporting a small grin.

10 minutes later the four were still eating their meals and chatting, Juni was still a nervous wreck. "So ... Yeah I-I think the fish is great" Juni said as he tried a piece of Kumiko's lunch.

"I'm so glad!" Kumiko replied "I've been practicing the preparations, I'm so glad I got it right" she smiled as Juni returned it. Kaito and Ushio shared a satisfied look. Suddenly a thought crossed Kaito's mind. _'Yeah I looked everywhere, the bathrooms, behind the dumpsters, the courtyard.'_ – Kaito suddenly remembered Takeshi's words. _Shit!_ He thought to himself, _the courtyard! It had been a while and Takeshi must have bought the Nikuman by now ..._ Takeshi must have also realised that Kaito and Juni had given him the slip. Kaito looked around the courtyard ... There was no sign of Takeshi. Kaito sighed with relief but if he was going to keep Takeshi away, he would have to act fast.

"Hey ... Ushio" he said, Ushio looked up. "Didn't we have something to do today?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Ushio's eyes widened, as if to say not yet but Kaito wasn't having any of it.

"You know, there's ... Oh crap! Our drama meeting!"

"What?" Kumiko asked. Ushio's face turned into a scowl.

"We were supposed to go to a drama meeting this lunch; there are a few things we have to do!" Kaito cried in a panic.

"Really? Well you two go ahead, Juni and I shall stay here, is that okay?" Kumiko asked, looking towards Juni. Juni nodded in reply. Kaito and Ushio stood up, packing their things away.

"Have fun" Kaito said as the two waved them off. Ushio and Kaito made their way over to the archway and hid behind the corner of it.

"What the hell was that?!" Ushio asked in an angry voice.

"Look, our friend, Keshi. He's looking for us; if he sees us eating lunch with you guys then he'll ruin everything. This way, if he sees Juni, I can stop him before he goes over to him" Kaito explained.

"It's too early to leave them alone" Ushio replied.

"We've no other choice" Kaito said, "besides, is 10 minutes or so really gonna make a difference?" Ushio looked him up and down, coming to a decision of whether or not to trust the dark haired boy.

"Fine, just let me know, _before_ you do something like that next time" she said.

"Next time?" Kaito asked.

"It's a figure of speech" Ushio said, rolling her eyes.

"Is it?"

"Shhh, let's watch" she said as the two of them peered around the corner, watching their two friends have lunch together.

Juni and Kumiko sat there quietly, enjoying the rare sunshine of November. Juni began twiddling his thumbs as Kumiko looked up to him. "Are you okay?" She asked. Juni looked up as well.

"Yeah, fine" he said. He knew what he wanted to do; he knew what Kaito said he should do. What he didn't know is what would happen, the next few minutes, if he chose to go through with his plan, could change his life, not to mention his friendship with Kumiko.

"Can you hear them?" Kaito asked.

"They're not saying much" Ushio replied. She felt something push down on her head. She looked up to see Kaito's arm perched on it. "What are you doing?" She asked him.

"Oh, sorry, I couldn't be bothered holding my self up" he laughed. Ushio rolled her eyes at him. "You do that a lot don't you?" He asked. She hushed him as they continued to watch.

"Hey Kumiko, I ..." Juni began but found himself lost in his words.

"Yes?" She asked, giving him an encouraging smile. Ushio and Kaito continued looking on however, they were suddenly interrupted.

"Hey!" A voice cried from behind them. Ushio and Kaito's heads shot around. Takeshi was storming up to them.

"Keshi, wait!" Kaito pleaded.

"No man! What the fuck?! This is the second time you've ditched me and it aint any accident!" He yelled.

"I-I was hoping to ask you something" Juni continued.

"Sure, ask me anything" she replied.

"Look, Keshi! Something's going on, can we just save this yeah?"

"No not this time. Don't you want to be my friend anymore? Is that it? Leaving me out; hanging out with this random girl" he said, pointing to Ushio who looked down at her feet.

"Come on man, she has a name" Kaito replied.

"So? Just at least have the freaking decency to tell me all this to my face!"

"Calm down!" Kaito replied, gesturing with his hands.

"H-how long have we known each other?"

"A while I'd say" Kumiko replied, placing her chopsticks down as she looked up into Juni's eyes.

"We get along right?" He asked.

"Of course" Kumiko laughed.

"You're telling me to calm down? Dude, you do this shit all the time. You and Juni, you always go off without me, always have your little conversations together behind my back, you're little adventures, always having fun without m-"

"Keshi! Please. I'm sorry but look" Kaito said, grabbing his friend and pushing him around the corner of the arch. Takeshi looked on as he saw his friend Juni talking to a girl he'd never seen before. Takeshi looked back to Kaito as he shook his friend's hand off of his shoulder.

"Who's that?" He asked.

"She's my friend Kumiko" Ushio said as Takeshi's gazed moved over to her. "Your friend, Juni likes her a lot, Kumiko really likes him too."

"What? Why wouldn't you two tell me?" Takeshi asked, as his previous angry tone changed into something else, something Kaito had never heard before. Takeshi sounded genuinely hurt.

"I dunno man, maybe it's because you never take these things seriously?" Kaito said. "I mean, especially with girls yanno? Juni isn't like me and you, this is important to him."

"Doesn't he trust me?" Takeshi asked.

"Of course he does! I do too!" Kaito laughed. "I just thought you wouldn't take it seriously ... remember Hitomi?"

"Yeah ... I guess you're right man. Jesus I'm a shit friend" Takeshi sighed.

"No you're not man, you're our best friend" Kaito said, smiling. "Let's watch and see how he handles this. We'll talk about this stuff after okay?" Kaito offered. Takeshi nodded.

"I'm sorry by the way" he said, looking towards Ushio.

"It's okay" she replied waving her hand in dismissal.

"This is Ushio, Ushio this is Takeshi" Kaito said, introducing the two. Takeshi placed out his hand as Ushio shook it.

"I think we met the other day, right? With the posters?" He asked.

"Yes; I remember" Ushio said smiling.

"You were going to ask me something?" Kumiko asked as Juni was searching for the right words.

"Kumik- erm, Kumi" he muttered, Kumiko's face turned into a slight smile.

"Yes?"

"I-I was wanting to ask ..." Juni felt his heart skip a beat, it was now or never he thought, no going back for Junichiro Akimoto. He sucked in his gut and let out a deep breath. "Look, Kumi. I like you ... a lot. I've liked you for a really long time. I, I don't know if you feel the same way about me but, if you'd like to, I would love for us to go on a date ... together."

"Did he just ask her out?" Takeshi asked. Ushio and Kaito looked at each other, smiling.

"I think so" Ushio replied.

Juni's face had turned red as he looked Kumiko in the eyes. She stared back into his. "I ... I would love to" she said. Juni's face lit up.

"Really?" He asked, his voice was full of happiness.

"Yes" Kumiko smiled. "I really like you too" she said as a quiet giggle followed. Juni nodded as the two sat there, smiling at each other, unaware of the three watchers at the other end of the courtyard.

**~*8*~**

_**Please, if you are going to write about spoilers in your review, place a spoiler warning at the beginning. If you do not, your review will be removed - Thank you.**_


	9. All Acquainted

**~*9*~**

The lunch bell rang as Takeshi, Ushio and Kaito still continued to watch their friends. Kaito and Ushio were silently celebrating together, Ushio's plan had worked! Juni had confessed to Kumiko how he felt about her; to his delight the feeling was mutual. Juni and Kumiko had packed up their things as they made their way indoors, walking over to the archway; unbeknownst to them their friends were also there. "They're coming over" Takeshi uttered as the two set foot in the archway. Meeting their three friends head on Juni and Kumiko fell silent.

"Yeah, great heads up there Keshi" Kaito whispered to his friend who merely shrugged in reply.

"You two look happy" Ushio said, attempting to hold back her grin.

"Yeah ..." Kumiko replied, looking down to the floor as she gently kicked the ground.

"So, we bumped into Takeshi on our way back" Kaito laughed.

"Oh right, Kumi, this is Takeshi" Ushio said. Takeshi placed out his hand.

"Fujimoto; Takeshi Fujimoto ... at your service." Kumiko shook his hand as Takeshi gave a slight bow. "Kumiko is it?" He asked, looking to Juni and winking.

"Kumi-Chan if you wouldn't mind" she replied.

"Sure, Kumi-Chan" he said, sporting his mischievous smile. Takeshi's gaze moved between Kumiko and Ushio. The two looked quite similar, their only real differences being their hair length and eye colour. "Are you two sisters or something?" He asked.

"What? No. My last name is Okazaki, Kumi's is Nakahara" Ushio laughed.

"People tend to think that though" Kumiko stated.

"I see ..." Takeshi said. Juni gulped as he began to speak up.

"S-since you're all here, we have something to tell you" he said, looking at Kumiko who smiled back at him.

"Oh really?" Ushio asked, "What is it?"

"We ... We er-" Juni began as he was cut off by Kumiko.

"We're going on a date tomorrow" she said. Takeshi, Kaito and Ushio maintained their previous expression, this wasn't news to them. However, it was news to Kumiko and Juni that they thought it was news to the others, Ushio thought, attempting to wrap her brain around the puzzle. Suddenly she came to her senses.

"Oh, wow! That's so great guys!" She said smiling.

"Yeah, I'm so shocked!" Kaito added.

"Who would'a thought!" Takeshi laughed as Ushio rolled her eyes at the two boys. They were definitely over doing it.

"Anyway ..." Kumiko began "it's time for class Ushio."

"Yup" her friend replied. Kumiko and Ushio said goodbye to the three boys, not before Kumiko glanced at Kaito. As they were leaving, Kaito overheard Kumiko talking to Ushio.

"We can double date!" She said, much to Kaito's confusion. For a moment the three boys stood there, silent, waiting for someone to break the ice. Takeshi, as per usual, took that role.

"Well, well, well. Junichiro Akimoto!" He laughed as Juni smiled. "You got a date!"

"Yeah ..." he sighed.

"Wassup?" Takeshi asked.

"Look, I'm sorry I never told you about this. I suppose you know what was happening right?"

"Don't worry man, I get it. You guys thought you could handle it alone so you told a little white lie, its cool" Takeshi said, pretending he was fine with the situation.

"No, it's not" Kaito said as he looked over to Juni. "To tell you the truth Keshi, Juni wanted to tell you. He felt really bad about leaving you out and ditching you."

"Honestly guys, it's fine" Takeshi sighed. "I understand why you would think that way. I haven't exactly been the most reliable guy with this kind of thing. It's like you said Kaito, remember Hitomi?" Takeshi said, gesturing to Juni. Juni looked down, a little embarrassed. "I never did tell you how sorry I was. I mean, I apologised, but only because you made me Kaito" he said, looking over to his friend. "But don't worry, I'm gonna make it up to you with Kumik- erm, Kumi-Chan" he laughed.

"Thanks Keshi" Juni replied "I promise you, I'll be a better friend."

"Don't sweat it. We're all good, right?"

"Of course" confirmed Juni.

"No more bullshit" Takeshi promised. Kaito watched his two friends reconcile. To anyone else's eyes this behaviour would seem completely abnormal, he thought. To him however, it was completely normal and he loved his friends for it.

"Okay, I never thought I'd say this but let's get to class" Kaito smiled as the other two followed him indoors.

"Keshi, what did you mean by help me out with Kumiko?" Juni asked. Takeshi looked at him and smiled.

"Juni my boy, you're gonna get laid!" Takeshi bellowed. Kaito suddenly burst out laughing as Juni's face turned completely red with embarrassment.

The drama room's door swung open as Kaito made his way inside. Ushio and Yumi were sat at the small table that had held so many occupants as of late. "Hey" he said walking in. The two looked up and smiled. "What are you guys so happy about?" He asked.

"We've decided on a play" Yumi said. Kaito raised an eyebrow at the two girls.

"Well, I'm glad to have helped with that" he said sarcastically as he took a seat by his friends.

"Don't be like that" Ushio began, "honestly, would you have been so bothered about what it is we're going to perform?" She asked rhetorically.

"Well, no. Still it's nice to be consulted" Kaito remarked. Yumi stretched out her arms and an exaggerated yawn followed. Kaito rolled his eyes at the blue eyed girl. "Still sporting that pony tail?" He asked.

"Of course, I like it" Yumi replied.

"Uhuh."

"Koharu" Ushio said, coughing to get her attention. "Shall we tell him about the play?"

"Oh boy" Kaito said, expressing his sarcasm. Yumi shook her head as she began to inform Kaito of the play.

"It's a play which explores the hopelessness of love" she said with a passionate flame arising in her eyes.

"Wow..." he uttered.

"It's about a couple who know their relationship is ending. One wants it to be done with, the other wishes to make up for her wrong doings" she took a deep breath. "However, she has intentionally hurt him because of her feelings for him, she realises that they are no more and that they never were" she said, smiling.

"That doesn't make sense" he sighed.

"It's poetic" Ushio stated.

"Uhuh" he replied "Is that all?"

"It finishes with the two breaking up, leaving their supposed love behind, only for her to present him with a mystery, did she love him or not? He would never know" she finished, closing her eyes and nodding slightly. "It's beautiful, in a way."

"Sounds like a mystery" Kaito said.

"Exactly, it's called Enigma" Yumi replied. "It's an American play."

"American?" Kaito asked; a little confused.

"Don't worry, it's translated" she said, handing him the script that she had brought with her. Kaito's eyes glanced over the paper, reading a few lines. His eyes came to the bottom of the page; he scratched his chin in confusion.

"Hang on" he said. "There are only two characters in this play ... there are three of us."

"Well done" Yumi laughed.

"One of us will be doing the lighting and the sound, the other two will perform" Ushio explained.

"Who's performing?" Kaito asked.

"That's up to you" Ushio replied, "I've told Koharu she's doing it no matter what, it's her club and she is the actress after all" Ushio stated with a nod.

"Then you'll have to play the dude?" Kaito asked.

"Girls play boys all the time" Yumi said. Kaito looked to Ushio and shrugged.

"Well if you're up for it" he said.

"Yup!" Ushio nodded.

"Cool. Guess I'm on the technical stuff" he smiled.

"It won't be hard" Yumi explained "just follow the cues on the script and you'll be fine" she smiled.

"Okay, seems easy enough" he replied. With that the three began to get to work, reading through the script, deciding on props and stage positions. The three were having a great time, much to Yumi's surprise. This was where she excelled; this was where she was happy.

The drama meeting was coming to an end and the three of them had done the majority of preparations for their performance. "Well, that's a wrap" Yumi laughed, "I'll see you guys later" she said as they began packing up their things. Yumi was about to exit the room as Ushio called out to her.

"Koharu, what are you doing tonight?" She asked.

"Nothing, why?"

"Kumiko and I are going shopping for her date with Juni tomorrow, if you want to come?"

"Her and Juni?" She asked pointing towards Kaito. "Your friend?" She questioned, Kaito nodded.

"Wow, I never thought he'd have it in him" she giggled. Her eyes met Ushio. "But good for them, they look like they'd suit each other" she smiled.

"Yup!" Nodded Ushio as she confirmed Yumi's thoughts.

"I don't have any plans; I haven't been out in a while either" she said.

"So you'll come?" Ushio asked.

"Sure."

"Great! 5:30, by the arcade?" She asked.

"Sounds good" she replied "anyway ... my, erm, my mom is waiting outside. So I'll see you later" she said, waving as she rushed off in a hurry. The door came to a close behind her as Ushio and Kaito shared a look.

"Well, that was weird" Kaito remarked.

"She's probably in a hurry to do something" Ushio replied. Kaito nodded as a smirk came across his face.

"Shopping?" Kaito asked, laughing.

"Yes, why not?"

"Well, you wouldn't catch me and Keshi taking Juni shopping for the date" he smirked, imagining the three of them attempting to co-ordinate Juni's outfit, essentially giving him a makeover. The thought made him shiver.

"Aren't you going to give him any manly advice?" Ushio laughed.

"Wear your wellies?" He suggested, laughing. Ushio folded her arms. "Gee, sorry" he said.

Ushio and Kaito were heading out of their school, through the courtyard as Ushio began to speak up. "Kaito, can I ask you something?"

"It seems like you always want to ask something" he said, grinning at her. She smiled at him. "But sure, go ahead."

"Who's Hitomi?" She asked. Kaito stopped in his tracks.

"How do you know about her?" He asked.

"You mentioned her to Takeshi earlier" she reminded him.

"Oh. Well ..." He began "Hitomi is; well Hitomi was a girl who was in Juni's class in our first year. He had a crush on her, told Takeshi and me. This was when we hadn't been friends for long and Takeshi didn't exactly think much of it. He thought it was quite funny to be honest" Kaito sighed.

"Did he do something bad?" She asked.

"Not exactly bad, unfair is probably the best word" He said.

"Why is that?"

"Takeshi wasn't the most charming guy back then" he laughed, "he was a bit of a bully. We three were friends but Keshi was quite harsh when it came to some things. Juni told us about Hitomi and Keshi decided to go and tell her about Juni. You may have noticed that Juni isn't the best at dealing with uncomfortable situations; he was even worse back then. Hitomi confronted Juni about it all, Keshi cut in and made things even worse for him, he was kind of taunting them in a way" Kaito explained. Ushio's face turned to a frown; she couldn't understand how Takeshi could act this way to someone, especially when he and Juni seemed to be such good friends. "Don't get me wrong" Kaito continued "Keshi is fine now, he's a good friend. Back then things were different though and Keshi was different ... to make a long story short, Keshi made fun of Juni so much that Juni ended up crying in front of Hitomi. It embarrassed him beyond belief" Kaito sighed again, head down, remembering the uneasy past. "So, I had a go at Keshi. Took him a while but he apologised to Juni, he swore he wouldn't do anything like it again."

"Then why didn't you two tell him about Kumiko?" Ushio asked.

"To be fair, it wasn't Juni who didn't want him to know. It was me; I didn't want that to happen to Juni again. I was wrong about Keshi though, he proved me wrong."

"I guess that goes to show that people can change for the better" Ushio stated, smiling at Kaito. He nodded in reply.

"That's true; sometimes they just need a chance" he laughed.

"What? Why are you laughing?"

"I dunno; it just kinda feels like an after school special" Kaito laughed.

"Don't be so silly, do you even know what one is?" Ushio asked.

"Nah, not really" he replied as the two continued walking through the courtyard. "Speaking of wanting to ask things" Kaito said, "why did Kumiko say to you that you two could double date?" He asked, standing still and folding his arms in an attempt to mimic Ushio's common action. Ushio stopped as well. She stood at Kaito's shoulder; looking up to him, her cheeks began to blush.

"Don't be mad at me okay?" She suggested in a gentle voice.

"Uhuh" he replied.

"Well, to get Kumiko to stop asking about why I arranged the lunch between us four ... I had to come up with a reason" she said. Kaito tapped his foot.

"And?"

"Well, I said I had a crush on you, that I liked you."

"You like me?" He asked, astonished.

"No, no!" She said, panicking.

"Oh, so you don't like me?"

"No, I do bu-"

"Well, which is it?" He asked.

"I-I"

"Ushio" he said.

"Yeah?" She asked, calming down.

"I'm messing with you" he laughed.

"Oh ..." she uttered, still blushing. Kaito placed his hand on top of her head. "What ar-" she began.

"I'll see you later" he said, removing his hand from atop her head and walking off in the direction of his home. Ushio stood there, rather confused at what had just happened. Somehow, she and Kaito had become much closer over the past few days. Perhaps helping someone else had made them feel more comfortable together? She didn't know; she was just glad they were friends. That's all they were after all, _just friends_ she thought. She decided not to linger on the thought any longer; instead she began to make her way home. Soon, she and Yumi would be helping Kumiko prepare for her first ever date. Ushio started walking along, under the Sakura cherry blossom trees, with a wide smile spread right across her still blushing face.

**~*9*~**

_**Please, if you are going to write about spoilers in your review, place a spoiler warning at the beginning. If you do not, your review will be removed - Thank you.**_


	10. A Bright Smile

**~*10*~**

Ushio strolled along the road, making her way down to her friend's house. She was wearing a pink sweater shirt, simple leggings with shoes and a white knitted hat, her favourite accessory. She reached the front door and knocked. After a few seconds it opened and Ushio saw the smiling face of Kumiko. Kumiko sported a black and white striped cardigan over a white t-shirt. She also wore a pair of basic leggings along with her slip on shoes; her headphones were hung around her neck. "Are we ready to go?" Ushio asked her friend.

"Yep" she replied as she stepped out of the house, closing the door behind her and locking it.

"Are your parents still not home?"

"No, not until about nine or so I think" Kumiko replied.

"Okay, well I can stop over if they don't?" Ushio suggested. "It's only a half day tomorrow so I'm sure my mom and dad wont mind"

"Yeah, if you're sure?"

"Yup" Ushio smiled. Kumiko returned the smile and the two set off to go and meet Yumi.

Yumi was stood outside the old arcade in the shopping district of the town. She wore a blue hoodie with dark skinny jeans and a pair of white converse. The streets were filled with all different kinds of shops; some held unusual items and others were the usual convenience stores. Some shops even consisted of just plushies, a type of shop Ushio's mother, Nagisa favoured. Yumi checked her phone, 5:29 pm. She had been there for 10 minutes, waiting for Ushio and Kumiko. A few seconds later the time on her phone shifted to 5:30 pm and a voice called out. "Koharu!" The voice yelled, _right on time_ Yumi thought to herself.

"Hey" she said, turning around to greet her two friends.

"Hi Koharu" Kumiko said.

"Kumiko, call me Yumi" she replied, smiling. "Only Ushio and my teachers call me Koharu" she laughed. Kumiko nodded.

"Ushio does that with everyone" she laughed.

"It's not my fault; I'm just used to it" Ushio responded.

"Ushio, you can call me Koharu" Yumi said, giving her friend a wink. The three of them laughed as they began to discuss their shopping plans. "Okay where to first?" Yumi asked.

"Well, we need to find Kumi a new outfit" Ushio said.

"Oh, right, for your date with Junichiro?" Yumi asked, looking towards Kumiko.

"Yes, do you know him?" She replied.

"I've met him once or twice, he seems really nice. A lot nicer than Kaito and Takeshi at least" Yumi laughed. The two other girls nodded, agreeing with her playful dig at the boys.

"God, I really can't believe we're doing this" Kaito mumbled as he, Juni and Takeshi were stood in his bedroom with Kaito's entire wardrobe laid out on the floor.

"It's not my fault I don't have any decent clothes" Juni replied.

"Yeah, I know man" Kaito said. His room was fairly spacious. His bed lay in the right hand corner, up to the wall. He had a small wardrobe with a set of draws next to a desk. That was all that made up his room. A knock on the door came as Kaito told the person on the other side to enter. A woman walked in, she wore a plain white outfit and her hair was tied back revealing her plain face.

"Kaito" she said "I've put your grandmother into bed, she's resting for now. There's a meal I've made up for her in the kitchen, it only needs heating up for 5 minutes before eating."

"Thanks" he replied.

"I have to be going now, my sons birthday dinner is today, remember?" She asked.

"I remember" he nodded, "thanks a lot" Kaito said in a grateful manner.

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning" she smiled.

"Sure, see you tomorrow" he replied as she left the room to attend her dinner plans. The three boys were quiet; it was a touchy subject that of Kaito's grandmother, Takeshi and Juni only knew a little bit about her.

"How is she doing anyways?" Takeshi asked.

"Still the same, no change" Kaito sighed.

"Well, at least it isn't getting worse" Takeshi said with a smile.

"Yeah, for now at least" Kaito replied as Takeshi nodded. "Anyway, what about this one?" Kaito asked, holding up one of his shirts. It was dark green and very soft.

"Do you think it'll look good?" Juni asked.

"Yeah man, it will really bring out your eyes" Takeshi said. Kaito gave him a concerned look as Takeshi shrugged and the three boys fell into laughter.

"This one's nice" Ushio said, holding up a dark blue, short dress. Kumiko and Yumi came over to look.

"It is" Kumiko replied.

"Yeah that will really bring out your eyes" Yumi said as the two nodded in agreement.

"Go try it on" Ushio said. Kumiko nodded and headed over into the dressing room.

"What do you think of these?" Yumi asked as she brought over a pair of dark high heeled shoes.

"For Kumi?"

"Yeah, they'll go nice with the dress" stated Yumi as she looked over the shoes.

"How tall is Junichiro?" Ushio wondered. "Taller than Kumi?"

"I'm not sure ... he's not that small right?" Yumi asked.

"We'll see what Kumiko thinks" Ushio said as Yumi nodded in reply.

"Ushio, what a surprise!" A voice called from behind the two. They turned around and were met  
>with Ushio's teacher, Kouko Yoshino.<p>

"Yoshino-Sensei!" Ushio said, greeting her.

"Honestly Ushio, it's out of hours, how many times do I have to tell you, call me Kouko" she said smiling.

"Yeah, sorry" Ushio laughed "force of habit ... I still do it with Kyou-Sensei."

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, you're just like your mother was when she was your age."

"Only with names" Ushio laughed, she looked to Yumi "Oh yes, Yoshi- ... Kouko you remember Koharu."

"Oh, yes. You helped out the other day with the posters right?" Kouko asked.

"Yes, how are the preparations for the festival going?"

"Smoothly, I realise it's a little early but I'd like everything to go well" she replied.

"Will you be bringing Fuko?" Ushio asked.

"As always" Kouko smiled, "actually, she should be around here somewhere." Suddenly Ushio felt two small arms wrap around her waist, squeezing her ever so tight.

"Sister! Fuko is happy to see you!" The person said. Ushio broke free of the person's grip and turned around. There stood a rather small girl, green hair and eyes. She had an innocent look to her as if her mind was far younger than her body. It was Fuko Ibuki, Kouko's younger sister. Ushio's smile widened.

"Fu-Chan!" Ushio said, returning the hug. The green haired girl went into a daze, as if the rest of the world was cut off from her.

"Is she okay?" Yumi asked as Kouko laughed.

"She's fine, she always acts like this with Ushio."

"Yup" Ushio laughed. Ushio pulled away from Fuko as the girl snapped out of her day dream.

"Fuko went off again" she uttered.

"As always" Ushio smiled, turning to Yumi she spoke. "Fu-Chan, this is Yumi Koharu, Koharu this is Fuko Ibuki, Yoshino-Sensei's little sister."

"Nice to meet you" Yumi said, sticking a hand out for Fuko to shake. Fuko backed away behind Ushio.

"Little sister, is she a friend to Fuko?" Fuko asked. Ushio smiled.

"She can be" she said. Fuko came out from behind Ushio and smiled, shaking Yumi's hand.

"Fuko is pleased to meet you Miss Koharu!" She said.

"You too" Yumi laughed.

"We better get going" Kouko said. "We're meeting Yusuke in a little while."

"Fuko will see you at Nagisa's celebration" Fuko said as she and Kouko began walking off, waving goodbye to the two girls.

"Was that your sister?" Yumi asked.

"No, she just likes to call me her little sister" Ushio laughed.

"Little? How old is she?"

"37, she's actually the same age as my dad" Ushio said.

"What? She looks about our age!" Yumi bellowed, surprised.

"I know, I'll tell you about it all some other time" Ushio laughed as Yumi gave her a strange look. A voice came from behind the curtain of the dressing room.

"It's on" Kumiko said.

"Well come out and let's see it" Yumi replied. Kumiko came out from behind the curtain. The blue dress came down to her knees; it was accompanied by a slim belt around her waist with two little straps over her shoulders.

"Well?"

"You look amazing" Ushio said.

"Yeah, you do" Yumi agreed. Kumiko began to blush.

"Do you think he'll like it?" She asked.

"He's an idiot if he doesn't" Yumi said as Ushio smiled. "Here try these with it" she stated, handing Kumiko the pair of dark heels. "I guessed your size" she smiled. Kumiko slipped her feet into the shoes which fit like a glove.

"Good guess" Ushio laughed. Kumiko fastened the straps and turned to face the mirror on the wall. "Perfect" Ushio said.

"There, ya look great!" Takeshi said as Juni revealed his outfit to Kaito.

"You're not wearing my boxers are you?" Kaito asked examining Juni's outfit which consisted entirely of Kaito's clothes.

"Of course not!" Juni replied. Kaito nodded in approval.

"Not bad Keshi, not a bad job at all."

"Yep! I should be a fashion designer" he laughed.

"Yeah ... I wouldn't go that far" Kaito muttered "I'm surprised they fit."

"Yeah, you're bigger than me though, so at least they're not too tight right?" Juni asked, feeling around his stomach. Takeshi laughed, patting his friend on the back.

"Don't worry man, they look good" he said.

"Yeah man, they're great" Kaito nodded. A moan was heard coming from another room. Kaito sighed, "I'll be two minutes" he said as Juni and Takeshi nodded. Kaito exited his room and closed the door behind him. Rolling up his sleeves he made his way to the end of the hallway in his small house. He came to a door, pushing it, it slowly creaked open. "Gran?" He asked, walking in. An elderly woman was laid down in a bed that sat in the middle of the dark room. A slight trickle of sunlight came in through the blinds. She mumbled something."Gran are you okay?" Kaito asked, walking up to the bed. The woman looked up to her grandson as a slight smile came across her face. "Hey" Kaito whispered, "my friends will be gone in a little bit; I'll go and make you some dinner then okay?" He suggested, smiling. The woman's smile disappeared as she nodded at Kaito's words. "You do remember me today, don't you Gran?" He asked. The woman took his hand.

"K-Kaito ..." she sighed. Kaito nodded. She mumbled again, it sounded like she was saying thank you however, Kaito wasn't entirely sure. He slipped away as his grandmother closed her eyes. Shutting the door behind him he made his way back to his room. Entering his two friends looked up to him.

"She's okay" Kaito said as they both smiled at him.

"Want us to get going?" Takeshi asked.

"If you don't mind guys."

"Of course" Juni added. "When do you want these back?" He asked, pointing to Kaito's shirt and trousers.

"Whenever man" he replied. Juni smiled as they made their goodbyes and Kaito's two friends left his home, leaving Kaito alone with his grandmother.

"Do you want to have lunch with us tomorrow Koharu?" Ushio asked as they were saying their goodbyes.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we don't mind, do we Kumi?"

"Not at all, what do you normally do for lunch?" Kumiko asked,

"I dunno really, I normally eat in the library, get some studying done you know?" She said smiling.

"Well, if you want we'll probably be out in the courtyard, so come and meet us okay?" Ushio suggested.

"Yeah, okay" Yumi replied. They then said their goodbyes and Ushio and Kumiko made their way home.

They came to Kumiko's house, there was no car outside; her parents had not arrived home yet.

"What time is it?" Ushio asked. Kumiko checked her phone.

"9:15" she replied. "I'll give them a call." Kumiko and Ushio made their way inside her house, Ushio took a seat on the small sofa in the living room as Kumiko made her way into the kitchen, phone in hand. A few minutes later she returned.

"They've had to stay over an extra night; they were just about to call me themselves" she said.

"Want me to stay?" Ushio asked.

"Sure, if you want" her friend replied, smiling. "What about your uniform?"

"We'll stop by mine in the morning, unless you'd rather stay at mine?" Ushio asked "It would probably be easier" she added, laughing.

"Yeah, okay. I'll go pack a few things" she said as she made her way upstairs to her room.

"What about Bento?" Ushio yelled up the stairs, looking at the sleeping cat in the kitchen.

"He'll be fine, he'll sleep through the night anyway!"

"Okay!" She replied, taking a seat in the living room, hoping she wouldn't wake the sleeping Bento.

"Hi mom" Ushio said as she and Kumiko made their way into her house. Her mother, Nagisa, was sat in the living room, curled up on the sofa reading a book. She turned her head.

"Hi sweetie, did you have fun?"

"Yeah, it was good. Kumi's here by the way" Ushio replied. Nagisa got up from the sofa and walked over to the two girls.

"Hello Kumiko" she said smiling. Kumiko smiled back.

"Hello Nagisa, how are you?" She asked.

"Fine thank you, did you buy anything while shopping?"

"One or two things" Kumiko smiled.

"Yumi's going on a date tomorrow!" Ushio added. Kumiko looked at her, blushing.

"Aw, that's wonderful Kumiko!" Nagisa said, keeping her smile. "What's his name?"

"Junichiro Akimoto" Kumiko uttered, still embarrassed.

"Do you remember my friend Kaito?" Ushio asked her mother.

"The boy in your drama club?"

"Yup, he and Junichiro are best friends" she said.

"I see, is he handsome?" Nagisa asked, looking towards Kumiko "I bet he is" she smiled. Kumiko continued to blush. Ushio placed her arm around her friend.

"He's very cute, right?" Ushio asked; Kumiko nodded in reply.

"How lovely" Nagisa said smiling.

"Mom, would it be okay for Kumi to spend the night? Her parents are still away."

"Of course! There's always room for one more" Nagisa laughed. Kumiko bowed her head in respect.

"Thank you very much" she said.

"Nonsense" Nagisa added, "as far as we're concerned you're one of the family" she said, placing her hand on Kumiko's shoulder. Kumiko nodded in reply, smiling. "Are you girl's hungry?" She asked.

"A little" Ushio admitted.

"Okay, I'll start dinner" Nagisa said, making her way into the kitchen. The two girls headed up the stairs and into Ushio's room to begin their slumber party.

"You're parents are definitely back today right?" Ushio asked as she and Kumiko sat in the school courtyard, opening their bentos to begin lunch.

"Yes, definitely" Kumiko replied. Suddenly a figure began walking over to them, a girl with her violet hair tied to the side in a pony tail, it was Yumi.

"Hi guys" she said.

"Hey Koharu, so you decided to join us?" Ushio asked, as Kumiko waved to their friend.

"Yep, thought I'd get out of the library for once" she laughed, taking a seat next to Ushio as she produced her bento box from her school bag.

"Last night was really fun" Ushio said, referring to their shopping trip.

"It was" Kumiko nodded.

"We should do it again" Yumi laughed as the two girls smiled. Behind Yumi's head Ushio noticed three familiar figures.

"I'm telling you, there was no Nikuman today!" the fair haired boy yelled.

"Oh bull shit Keshi, I know you ate it" Kaito replied.

"Dude, I brought you anpan today! Why would I buy both that and the Nikuman and only eat one? Stop being such a girl."

"Uhuh, keep telling yourself that."

"Come on guys, just get along? We need to find somewhere to sit" Juni suggested.

"Fine."

"Whatever."

"Kaito!" A voice called over, looking in its direction the three boys saw Ushio, Kumiko and ... _Yumi? What was she doing there?_ Kaito wondered. They began to walk over.

"Hey" he said as they reached the three girls.

"D'you three want to eat with us?" Ushio asked. Kaito and Takeshi looked at each other, looking over to Juni they noticed that he had already taken a seat next to Kumiko. They shook their heads and smiled.

"Sure" they both said as they sat down, in between Yumi and Juni.

"How're you Junichiro?" Yumi asked "I hear you've got a big night tonight?" She added. Juni blushed.

"Yeah, just a bit" he laughed. Kumiko smiled at him.

"Yumi why are you out here?" Takeshi asked "shouldn't you be alone, in the library?"

"Not that it's any of your business but Ushio invited me" Yumi retorted.

"Yup!" Ushio said, smiling.

"I see" Takeshi replied.

"Well, now that everyone is here. Why don't we all introduce our selves?" Ushio suggested.

"Um, we all already know each other" Kaito stated. Ushio let out a sigh.

"I know that, but it will break the ice and we'll all get to know a little bit more about each other" she replied.

"If you say so" Kaito laughed.

"I'll go first" she said "all you need to do is say your name, age, class and something about your-"

"Hang on" Yumi said, cutting in "You two are in the same maths group right?" Yumi asked pointing toward Juni and Kumiko, they nodded. "Then do we have to say every class, or just homeroom?"

"Just homeroom" Ushio laughed, "we don't want to look silly."

"This is already silly" Takeshi whispered, leaning over to Kaito who laughed in reply.

"What's so funny?" Kumiko asked.

"Nothing, nothing" Takeshi replied, waving his hands about. "Uh, go ahead Ushio, start" he suggested. Ushio nodded.

"My name is Ushio Okazaki, I'm 17 and in class 3-E. I really love art" she said, smiling. The other five stared at her, wondering if this was really necessary. Kaito looked over his shoulder, he saw two boys looking at his friends. They were sniggering at them. Kaito became quite annoyed; he decided he would humour Ushio. He stood up.

"My name is Kaito Sakumoto, I'm 17 as well and in class 3-A. I don't have many interests ... was that okay?" He asked, Ushio smiled at him and nodded. He sat back down. Kumiko spoke next.

"My name is Kumiko Nakahara, I'm 17 years old, I'm in class 3-E and I love maths."

"My name's Junichiro Akimoto, 17, class 3-D and I also love maths" he said as he and Kumiko smiled at their common interest. A few other students stared at them; this was quite an unusual sight.

"My name is Yumi Koharu; I am 18 years old, class 3-A and I really like drama." The five friends looked at Takeshi, he sighed as he gave an annoyed look at the glaring students who began to back off.

"Fine" he said. "My name is Takeshi Fujimoto, 17. I'm in Yumi and Kaito's class, I guess I like video games, sport ... I dunno" he laughed, uneasy. Kaito smiled at him, nodding in appreciation.

"Okay, now we've all been officially introduced" Ushio said, with a bright smile on her face.

"I still don't feel any different" Takeshi remarked.

"What?" Yumi asked.

"Well, I thought once we did this, some mystical force would unite us in friendship forever ... yanno?" The five others looked at him completely bewildered as they began to laugh uncontrollably at their friend who sat there and shrugged. In a way, Takeshi was right. These six had now become friends; the question being was if this would last or would they simply grow apart. One thing was for sure, only time would tell.

**~*10*~**

_**Please, if you are going to write about spoilers in your review, place a spoiler warning at the beginning. If you do not, your review will be removed - Thank you.**_


	11. The Three Motos

**~*11*~**

Kumiko made her way down the stairs of her house. Making her way into the living room, she saw that her parents were knelt down at the small table in the middle of the room. "Well?" Kumiko asked as her parents turned around to face her. Her father, Masaru, was a well built man. He was clean cut and had dark hair with deep, blue eyes. On the other hand her mother, Natsumi, was very petite with brown hair and hazel coloured eyes, she was very pretty.

"You look stunning" her mother said, making her way over to her daughter. Kumiko blushed at the compliment. She was wearing her dark blue dress, accompanied with a slim belt and dark heels. Her hair was straight; she also wore a pair of silver ear studs.

"You really think so?" She asked.

"Of course" her father confirmed, "what is this kid's name again?"

"Akimoto, Junichiro Akimoto" Kumiko replied.

"That's very unique" her mother remarked.

"Well, he is" Kumiko laughed. Her father stood up, folding his arms.

"Do we get to meet him then?" He asked with a stern voice.

"Well, I'm meeting him out, if you really want to, you can pick me up and meet him then?" She suggested while hinting at the fact that she required a lift home.

"Sounds good" her father said, smiling. "Just call me when you're done, no later than eleven though" he said.

"Right" she replied, giving him a hug. She turned to her mother who also gently embraced her. Kumiko walked over to the front door and looked back to her parents.

"Good luck" her mother said as her father smiled. Kumiko nodded at her words and made her way outside, to go and meet her date for the night.

Juni stood among the crowded streets of the shopping district. It was 8:00 pm, Kumiko should be arriving any time now, he thought to himself. He brushed down his dark green shirt and his formal trousers; which he had borrowed from Kaito. As he stood there, twiddling his thumbs around ever so nervously, he thought back to the advice his two friends has given him earlier that day. "Just be yourself" Kaito had said.

"But try and act smooth as well dude" Takeshi had added.

"Basically, just be a smooth Junichiro" Kaito summarised before the two fell into laughter. _A smooth Junichiro? _Juni thought to himself, _what does that even mean?_ Ignoring the voices in his head, he glanced around. In the masses of people, one figure stood out to him. A beautiful brunette was making her way over to him, it was Kumiko. Juni felt his heart begin to race; _don't get nervous now_, he thought to himself. Kumiko smiled as she came closer to him. He smiled back as they were only a meter apart.

"Hi" she said.

"H-hey" he uttered in an attempt to reply. He glanced up and down at her. He gave an uneasy laugh for moment; he followed it with a slight cough. "You, erm ... you look amazing" he said. Kumiko began to blush, she looked up at him.

"Thanks, you don't clean up so bad yourself" she said, laughing in jest. They went quiet. Kumiko looked up to Juni as she placed her hand out and moved it to the top of his head. She brought it horizontally towards her own head.

"What are you doing?" He asked. She dropped her hand down to her side.

"You're actually taller than you look" she said, smiling. Juni looked down towards her feet.

"Were you worried?" He asked, pointing towards her heels.

"A little" she admitted.

"Well, I hope I don't disappoint" he laughed.

"You don't" she said, shaking her head.

The two had been walking for a while; the streets were full of people. Usually, both Juni and Kumiko didn't like large crowds. However, they had soon forgotten the masses of people as they were engrossed in their heated discussion. "So, honestly I don't think it's that hard" she said.

"What? You have to admit, it's a struggle to take it in" he replied.

"Only at first, but after a while you just get used to it all."

"Well, Fermat's conjecture, in my opinion, can be quite complex" Juni stated.

"I suppose so" she laughed.

"What?" He asked, smiling at her laughing face.

"Well, it's just funny don't you think?"

"Fermat?"

"No" she said, brushing her hair behind her left ear. "We've spent so much time talking about maths, that the first time we spend some actual time together, well ... we talk about maths" she laughed.

"Yeah" he said, his face lit up "that is quite funny" he said smirking. Kumiko smiled at him, she moved closer to him and linked her arm with his. She looked up at Juni as they continued to stroll along the side of the road. He blushed as he looked away. Clearing his throat, he turned back to her. "So, are we going to find somewhere to eat?" He asked.

"Sure" she smiled as they began to glance over the restaurants that covered each side of the road.

They had managed to find a quiet little place, away from all the crowds of people. It was a small, Italian restaurant. Only a few people were seated inside. They took a small table for two in front of the window. Taking their seats, they were handed two menus by the waiter. "Junichiro, I shall return in a few minutes to take your order" he said.

"Thank you" Juni replied. Glancing over the menu, Kumiko began to speak.

"I really don't know what to have."

"Try the tortellini, it's great" Juni suggested.

"You've been here before?" Kumiko asked.

"Yeah, that's how I know the waiter. I've been here a few times with my paren- well, just my mom" he replied.

"What about your father?" She questioned. A slight frown came over Juni's face.

"We don't get along very well. So my mom and I go for dinner every now and again" he said. Kumiko looked at him and smiled.

"Well, I think it's lovely that you take your mom on a date every so often" she giggled, trying to cheer him up. As he looked into her blue eyes, he laughed at her words. "Tortellini it is" she smiled. The waiter made his way over.

"May I take your order?" He asked.

"What are you having?" Kumiko asked Juni.

"Ladies first" he smiled, gesturing with his hand. She smiled back.

"Then I'll have the meat tortellini please" she said as the waiter jotted her order down on his notepad.

"And for you sir?"

"The same please" he replied, the waiter nodded.

"Drinks?" He asked.

"Just water?" Kumiko suggested; Juni nodded.

"Very well, your meal will be with you shortly" he said. Before he turned to walk off, he knelt down next to Kumiko's ear and whispered something to her. Then he took off into the kitchen.

"What did he say?" Juni asked.

"I don't know if I should say it here" she said. Juni became confused.

"Well, later then?" He asked.

"That depends."

"On what?"

"If the date goes well" she teased as Juni smiled.

It had been about 10 minutes since they had ordered. Kumiko was just making her way back from the bathroom where she had gone to 'powder her nose'; Juni had laughed at the cliché. She took her seat again as Juni smiled at her. "You know" he began, "I was meaning to ask you something."

"What is it?" She asked.

"It might sound weird, since we're on a date and all" he said uneasily. She laughed him off.

"I've gotten used to 'weird' over the past few days" she said. Juni nodded in reply.

"That's true; I'm surprised you're still sane after meeting Kaito and Keshi" he laughed.

"I'm managing" she smiled, "what was it you wanted to ask?"

"Oh, well. I was just wondering. You and Ushio seem really close, have long have you known her for?" He asked. Kumiko attempted to count the long years in her head.

"13 years I think" she replied.

"Really, that long?" Juni asked, astonished.

"Yes, we met in kindergarten when we were about 4, so yeah, 13 years" she smiled.

"Wow, that's a long time" he said.

"Haven't you known Kaito and Takeshi for a long time? You three seem close" she asked.

"I wouldn't say a long time, it was towards the beginning of our freshman year so it'll be going on 3 years in May or so, since we met I mean" he said.

"Really?" Kumiko asked "how did you three meet?"

"Well" he began "it's a long story," he laughed.

"Please do tell, it'll take my mind off of waiting for our food" she laughed. Juni laughed as well.

"Okay" he said "I'll tell you ..."

In May of 2020, a boy was seen walking out of the school entrance. He was an average height and was rather slim. He had bright red hair, green eyes and he carried a mathematics text book in his hand. His name was Junichiro Akimoto. He had just come out of the library after spending an hour there, after school, to complete his homework. Making his way to the school gates he noticed four boys stood to the side of it. There was a rather large boy among them, he had very dark hair and looked to have a cold manner of sorts. There were three smaller boys next to him, one shared the larger boy's hair colour, another had a blue tint to his hair, and the other had straight fair hair and green eyes. The blue haired boy spoke out to Juni as he was passing. "Yo, geek" He said. Juni looked over to them.

"W-wha" he uttered before he was cut off.

"W-wh-wh-wh" the blue hair boy mimicked as his friends laughed. "You got any money on ya?"

"No" Juni replied.

"Really, I don't think I believe you geek!" The blue hair boy seemed to be the leader of this group. Juni had encountered them before, he was quite afraid of them. Juni had been used to torment all of his life for being the quiet, clever soul he was. However, these boys seemed different, Juni felt quite scared around them. "Yo Gaku, grab him" their leader ordered. The larger boy walked up to Juni and held him up against the metal fence which stood next to the gate.

"I-I said ... I don't have any mon-"

"And I said I don't believe you" the blue hair boy snapped. "Give him a dig" he said. The larger boy swung at Juni and connected with his ribs. Juni winced in pain as the large boy laughed at him. "Still ain't got any?" The leader asked.

"Come on Orochi, stop it" the fair hair boy said.

"Shut up Fuji, feel his pockets."

"No man, I get making fun of him but come on this is a little too far don-"

"Shut up you wimp! I'm telling you to take his money!" Orochi ordered.

"No and stop calling me Fuji."

"I always knew you were a little pussy _Fuji_" Orochi stated. Juni was still being held up against the fence, the large boy had Juni pinned up tight. Around this time a boy had began walking out of the school, a few minutes after Juni, from detention. He had very dark, messy hair with deep brown eyes. He strolled along without a care in the world. He looked over to the commotion by the school gates. He saw a large boy pinning another boy with red hair up against a fence. Next to them he saw another boy laughing at the scene as two other boys were stood there, arguing. He could tell the red headed boy was in pain so, dropping his bag, he rushed to his aid.

"Just stop it Orochi!" The fair hair boy yelled. Suddenly a figure darted at Gaku, the large boy holding Juni against the fence. He immediately let go of Juni who slid down the fence and Gaku fell to the floor. The attacking figure rose up from the ground; anger was growing in his eyes.

"What the hell are you doing?!" He yelled as the three other boys look at him in astonishment. He looked behind him at Juni who was sat down, grasping his injured chest. "Are you bullying him?" He asked but as soon as spoke he felt the large fist of Gaku connect with his cheek. He was knocked back a few steps yet still kept his stance.

"That's enough!" The fair hair boy yelled as he darted into Gaku, taking him back to the floor. A fight began to break out. The fair haired boy had Gaku on the ground, hitting him in his face, bloodying his nose. The other boy, at the command of his leader, had gone for the unnamed hero, who had come to his senses after Gaku's punch. They began trading blows, grappling with each other as the dark haired hero sent an elbow in to the boy's face, he fell to the ground. The fair haired boy rose up, standing next to the other boy as they faced Orochi.

"You fucking pricks!"Orochi yelled as the dark haired boy grabbed him by the collar.

"You leave this kid alone!" He ordered "You hear me?" Suddenly a voice called out from the entrance of the school.

The boys had been taken inside; Juni had claimed witness to Orochi and the two other boys, stating they had been picking on him. He didn't mention the fair haired boy, he had stuck up for him, it was the least he could do he thought. He told the teachers that the fair and dark haired boys had defended him when the other three boys had attacked. The bullies had been taken to the principles office as Juni was sat outside a classroom, waiting for his two defenders to come out. They had been taken in by a teacher who had come to the rescue. Juni's head rose as the two boys were let out of the classroom. The teacher followed behind. "You're lucky these two were there" the teacher said, "don't let anyone know I said that, we're not allowed to encourage violence of any kind, even if it's in defence." The three boys looked at the teacher, slightly confused. The man glanced over to Juni. "I'm sorry nothing had been done sooner, we were aware of Orochi picking on some students, however nothing had been officially reported" he looked over to the two boys. "Well done for stepping up, we'll let it slide this time" he said. The dark haired boy began to speak.

"Sir, thank you."

"Don't mention it" he replied. "What's your name?" He asked, looking to Juni.

"Erm, Akimoto" he said.

"Your first name?"

"Oh ... Junichiro sir."

"Well, this is Takeshi Fujimoto and Kaito Sakumoto" the man laughed, "Three 'motos', what a coincidence. I trust you want to thank them" he said as he began walking off. Kaito shouted out to him.

"Sir, what's your name?" He asked.

"Miyagi!" He called back, as he continued down the corridor.

"He was surprisingly cool, for a teacher" Takeshi said.

"No kidding" Kaito said, shaking his head. A voice spoke up.

"Um, thank you, both of you." The two turned around, Juni had a smile on his face. "Thanks for sticking up for me" he said. Kaito laughed.

"Don't mention it, I was sick of Orochi anyway."

"Still" Juni replied.

"Sorry I didn't do anything sooner, I know he's been harsh on you for weeks" Takeshi apologised.

"It's fine. I'm glad you're not a bully after all" Juni laughed. "Erm, if you two want. I'll buy you something to eat as a thank you."

"Well, I can't say no to that" Takeshi grinned.

"Just this once" Kaito said, "I don't wanna be taking your food" he laughed.

"It's fine" Juni smiled as the three boys began to make for the exit down the hall. They came out to the courtyard as Takeshi spoke up.

"Hang on; you had money on you all this time?" He asked.

"Yes, I wasn't going to let that idiot take my stuff" Juni stated.

"That's pretty brave" Kaito said.

"Perhaps a little stupid though" Juni laughed as the three of them walked out of the school yard, laughing as they did. "That's it" Juni said as he finished his story. Kumiko had a shocked expression on her face.

"I-I can't believed that happened" she said. "Those boys were bullying you, even Takeshi as well?"

"Yeah, Keshi was a bit of a bully back then" Juni replied.

"I see."

"Not anymore though, it took him a while to stop making fun of people like that but he's a good friend" Juni said, smiling. Kumiko smiled back at him.

"That Orochi ..." Kumiko began.

"He isn't at our school anymore, Gaku and the other guy is though. They were the ones picking on me last week" Juni sighed. "They don't do it nearly as much as they used to, Kaito and Keshi make sure of it" he laughed.

"They seem like good friends" she smiled. Juni nodded in reply. The waiter came over to the two of them as he placed their meals and drinks on the table. They thanked him as he walked off.

"Just in time" Kumiko smiled, "this looks good" she added. Juni smiled at her.

"Let's dig in" he laughed as they began to eat their meal.

The date was coming to an end, it was 10:49 pm. They had finished their meal an hour ago and had spent the rest of the night walking around, window shopping and talking. Kumiko looked at her watch. "I suppose I should call my dad soon" she said.

"Is he nice?" Juni asked, a little uneasy.

"Oh, he's lovely" she laughed.

"Hey, why not tell me what the waiter whispered to you?" Juni suggested. Kumiko smiled at him. "Has the date gone well?" He asked; Kumiko nodded at him.

"He said, well, he said that I should hold on to you, because you're a really good kid" she laughed.

"Well, that's hard to argue with" Juni joked.

"It is" Kumiko agreed. Juni came to a stop, Kumiko moved in front of him. "What is it?" She asked. Juni kicked the ground with his foot.

"I've had a great time tonight" he said.

"So have I" she replied. Juni began to blush.

"I was wondering Kumi, if you would ... well, If you wanted to be my ..." Juni asked, Kumiko couldn't hear the last part of his question.

"Your what?" She asked.

"I, my ... Kumi, would you go out with me ... as boyfriend and girlfriend?" He asked, his face had turned red with embarrassment. Kumiko let out a giggle as Juni looked up. Her face came close to his as her lips gently touched his right cheek. Juni felt the moist sensation as his heart began to race again. Kumiko pulled away and whispered in his ear.

"I would love to" she said. Juni looked into her eyes.

"Really?" He asked as she nodded in reply. He smiled at her. "I'm glad" he said, attempting to hide his grin. Suddenly a beeping sound came from behind them as they jumped back. A car had pulled up next to them as Kumiko's dad was sat in the front seat, window rolled down.

"Dad?!" Kumiko yelled.

"Hey" he replied.

"You told me to call you!" Kumiko scolded.

"Well, I got tired of waiting so I thought I'd go for a drive" he smiled, stepping out of the car he made his way over to the two of them. "This must be Akimoto, correct?" He asked. Kumiko nodded.

"It's nice to meet you sir" Juni said, placing out a sweaty palm for Masaru to shake. Next to Masaru, Juni looked like a small child. He was shaking in Kaito's shoes; he had borrowed those as well. Masaru grasped Juni's hand as it disappeared in his great paw. He shook it.

"Nice to meet you too" he replied. "Time to go Kumiko" he said, letting go of Juni's hand he got back into the car.

"I'll see you later" Kumiko said, smiling at Juni. He nodded in reply. She got into the car as her father turned to face Juni; he placed his large arm on the gap that was left from the rolled down window.

"You'll have to come over for dinner sometime" Masaru said.

"Thank you sir!" Juni said in a high pitch voice. Masaru let out a chuckle as he and Kumiko drove away. Juni was left there, alone. He let out a sigh. _That went better than expected_, he thought to himself. Juni smiled in the direction of the moving car. He kicked the ground again as he reminisced on the night. He began to walk away, making his way back home, ready to tell his parents a little white lie about the night. There was no way he would tell them the truth, Juni didn't want to have to go through that. He continued his way home, walking through the now calm streets of the town, smiling as he went along his way. It had been a good night, he thought, a very good night indeed.

**~*11*~**

_**Please, if you are going to write about spoilers in your review, place a spoiler warning at the beginning. If you do not, your review will be removed - Thank you.**_


	12. The Presence of The Past

**~*12*~**

December 3rd, 2023.

Dear diary, it's been a while. I've been going to a lot of auditions lately. I feel like they're starting to take a toll on my school work and activities though. I have to admit, I'm feeling quite torn between it all at the moment.  
>The drama club is coming along quite well. Kaito and Ushio are working hard, surprising for Kaito. We've still got a couple of months before the founder's festival, I'm sure we'll be okay. Yet, I can't shake this feeling that something is going to go wrong sooner or later, probably because things have been so good.<br>I've made quite a few new friends lately, which is nice. We all became friends about 3 weeks ago. It feels like I'm finally fitting in, despite it being my senior year.  
>Speaking of friends, Kumiko's birthday is coming up soon; 10th. I suppose Juni and the others will have something planned for her. The two of them make a really cute couple don't you think?<br>I've mentioned everyone else so I may as well throw Takeshi a bone. He's funny, I'll give him that.  
>Sorry I haven't written in here for a while. I'll try to do it more often. By the way, is it weird that I'm talking to you like this?<p>

- Yumi.

Yumi placed her pen down as she laughed to herself, amused by her diary entry. She brushed her violet hair behind her ears as she took her phone out of her pocket. Glancing through her text messages she saw several from her friends. One was from Ushio, asking Yumi about the props they needed for the play. Another was from Takeshi, attempting his usual mission to make Yumi laugh with incredibly bad jokes. Yumi smiled at the texts, it may not have been a big thing for anyone else but for Yumi it was. She was happy to have made friends like this; she had spent so long alone, spending her lunch breaks in the library trying to convince herself that she needed to study. Yumi read over her entry again _'It feels like I'm finally fitting in'_. A knock came from her front door as her phone received a text message. It was from Takeshi 'Yoyo Miss Koharuyooo.. outside.' Takeshi wasn't one for accurate grammar when it came to composing his texts. Yumi laughed at her phone, she wouldn't tell him that though, she wouldn't want him to know he was funny now would she?

Yumi opened the front door and was met with Takeshi's grin. "Yo, yo Koharuyooo" he said, echoing his text.

"It wasn't funny." Yumi replied.

"If you say so, I'll make you laugh one of these days." He declared, placing his hand to his heart and bowing.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Who knows, anyways, happy Sunday!"

"I'm going to punch you if you continue like this." She threatened, raising her fist.

"And I believe you!" He laughed as she smiled at him. She shook her head and locked the front door behind her.

"Where's Kaito? Isn't he with you?" She asked as they began walking through her front garden.

"Ah, he's just round the corner, on the phone."

"I see." She replied. A few moments later the two of them came around the corner and met Kaito who was still speaking on the phone. They decided to hang back a few feet away, as to not disturb their friend.

"I know, I know." He said "Well, I'll only be a few hours; I haven't really seen them this week. I'll be home for 7 okay?" He looked behind him. "My friends are here now, okay?... ... ... Alright, thanks a lot. I'll see you then." He hung up the phone. "Hey" He said as Yumi and Takeshi made their way over to him.

"Hi" Yumi responded.

"What's going on man?" Takeshi asked, pointing to Kaito's phone.

"Nothing, just home stuff."

"I get ya man." Takeshi smiled. Yumi could feel that something had bothered Kaito a bit, he seemed rather quiet. She attempted to move the topic along.

"Shall we get going?" She asked.

"Yeah, I need to stop by mine first though." Takeshi said.

"Didn't you two just come from there?"

"No, no. I stopped over at Kaito's last night." He said patting his friend on his back.

"Yup" Kaito muttered.

"Cheer up man." He said.

"Sure." Kaito replied, keeping up a smile.

"Is Juni already at Kumiko's then?" She asked.

"Yeah, along with Ushio" Takeshi added. He looked at his wrist watch. "Come on, let's get going."

"Sounds good." Yumi replied as the three began walking along the road to Takeshi's house.

They came to his home, it was quite small. He lived on the outer part of, what his friends called, 'the rough' side of town. Ushio and Kumiko also lived past there while Yumi lived in an area just before it. Nevertheless, it had been quiet lately as not a lot of trouble had occurred. They made their way through Takeshi's overgrown garden. "Want us to wait out here?" Kaito asked.

"Nah, it's cool, I might be a couple of minutes so just wait in the living room." He replied. The two nodded as he opened the front door and made his way inside, Yumi and Kaito followed behind. They walked into the living room and saw a woman sat on the sofa with a tall blonde man sat next to her. He didn't look Japanese, if anything he looked English. "Mom" Takeshi began as he saw the two of them sat on the sofa "Who is this?"

"Oh, Takeshi..." His mother uttered. She was a pretty woman, with long dark hair and blue eyes. The man sat next to her had the same coloured eyes as Takeshi. Yumi and Kaito gave each other a look; they could sense that tensions were high. "This... This is..." The woman couldn't find her words.

"I'm your father Takeshi." The man said. Takeshi's face went white as his mother turned her head away, she couldn't face her son.

"What?" Takeshi managed to say.

"I'm your father, Marcus." He said.

"I... I don't have a dad." Takeshi said "He ran out when I was little." Takeshi's face began to blend into a reddish colour, he was fuming.

"I know son, that's me. I've never been able to te-" The man began, before he was cut off.

"15... 15 fucking years!" Takeshi shouted. "15 years you've been gone! I don't have a dad you... you bum! You drug addict!" He yelled. The man's eyes fell to the floor.

"Please Takeshi, just calm dow-"

"No mom! How could you let this guy in the house! What are you doing?" He screamed as he punched the wall. Yumi grabbed Kaito's arm, squeezing it tight. Kaito looked at her, nodding.

"Clearly this is a sensi-" Kaito began.

"Everyone shut up!" Takeshi yelled. He ran up the stairs as they all heard the loud slam of Takeshi's bedroom door. The four of them went silent.

"I think we should probably go." Yumi said as she released Kaito's arm. Takeshi mother nodded, apologising. The two of them made their way out the house and onto the street. "Do you think its okay to leave Takeshi here?" Yumi asked, looking to Kaito.

"There's nothing we can do Yumi, besides I doubt he'll be up for going to Kumiko's now." Kaito sighed.

"Was that really his dad?" Yumi asked.

"I dunno, I guess. I mean, it would explain his hair colour... Not to make this sound any less serious. Still, they looked kind of similar." Kaito replied.

"I never knew Takeshi's father had walked out on him."

"Yeah..." The two of them fell into silence, both equally confused as to what had just happened.

"So, should we just go to Kumiko's now?" Yumi asked him, breaking the quiet atmosphere. Kaito nodded in reply. The two slowly strolled down the road, only looking back after hearing the sound of shouting in the distance.

They came to Kumiko's house. "This the right address yeah?" Kaito asked.

"It should be, at least it says so in Ushio's text. Have you never been here before?"

"No, have you?"

"Nope" Yumi stated. Kaito knocked on the door. It swung open as a bright, red headed boy stood inside.

"Hey" He said, a smile was planted across his face.

"Hey, Junichiro my man!" Kaito laughed walking in and giving Juni a special hand shake, consisting of a high five and a fist bump.

"You guys aren't gonna let that thing go are you?" Yumi asked in a harsh tone. Juni laughed at her words.

"Hey Yumi, you okay?" Juni asked.

"I'm fine." She nodded, smiling at him.

"Come on in, Ushio and Kumi are in the kitchen."

"You're calling her Kumi?" Kaito asked, grinning.

"I call her a lot of things. Kumiko, Kumi, Ko-ko and of course, your infamous 'Kumi-Chan'." Juni said rolling his eyes.

"What can I say, I'm great with nicknames." Kaito laughed, brushing off his shoulder.

"Oh yeah, because Juni and Keshi were so hard to come up with" Yumi remarked. Kaito placed his finger to his lips and made a shushing sound.

"Where is Keshi?" Juni asked.

"Ah, something happened" Kaito said "We'll tell you in a bit."

"Fair enough." Juni replied as the three of them walked into the kitchen. Ushio smiled at Kaito when he entered the room.

"Hey guys" He said, seeing Ushio and Kumiko stood at the counter, preparing a meal.

"Hey." Kumiko replied "Hey Yumi." She said, seeing the girl walk through from the living room.

"What are you cooking?" Yumi asked.

"Tortellini" Kumiko said smiling.

"She's fallen in love with it since we had it the other week." Juni laughed. Kumiko nodded, confirming Juni's words.

"Is Takeshi not here?" Ushio asked, looking through the archway into the empty living room.

"About that" Kaito began, he looked towards Juni "Keshi's dad came back." He said.

"Wait, really?" Juni asked, shocked.

"Is that bad?" Ushio said, addressing Juni's face.

"His dad walked out on him when he was little, he left him, his brother and their mom alone." Juni began.

"His dad, well don't say anything okay?" Kaito asked, the three girls nodded.

"Keshi's dad was a drug addict; he left his family when Keshi was only 2. He got sent to prison for a while as well, I think." Kaito added.

"He has a brother?" Kumiko asked. Kaito nodded.

"His names Takato" Kaito said "Anyway, that's all that Keshi's ever told us about it." He concluded. Juni let out a sigh. Kaito looked to Ushio who was wiping her eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I just feel so sorry for him." She said; teary eyed. Kumiko placed her hand on Ushio's shoulder and smiled in support.

"So what happened today?" Kumiko asked.

"They started arguing; Takeshi began to get really angry and lashed out so we left." Yumi said in a dull voice.

"Anyway, there's nothing we can do about it" Kaito said. "Its Keshi's problem to deal with."

"Come on Kaito" Ushio began "We're his friends, there has to be something we can do for him."

"She's right." Juni added. Kaito let out a sigh. He looked at the faces of his four friends, each looking to him for approval on the matter, he had no idea why.

"Okay" He mumbled.

"Good" Yumi said "Why don't we all go out this week coming?" She suggested.

"And do what?" Kaito asked.

"Shopping? Maybe go to the arcade? I don't know just anything to take his mind of it all." She replied.

"That sounds like a good idea." Ushio said, Kumiko and Juni also approved.

"Then it's settled." Yumi said.

"Are we going to watch this movie or not?" Kaito sighed.

"Yup" Kumiko said "The tortellini is done." She smiled. Yumi and Ushio went and took a seat on the sofa in Kumiko's living room. Kumiko began to dish out the pasta as Kaito and Juni also made their way into the living room.

"Hey" Juni said, grasping Kaito's shoulder as they made their way through the archway that divided the kitchen and the living room.

"What?" Kaito asked.

"Why are you so reluctant to help Keshi?" He questioned in a whisper. Kaito sighed.

"I don't want to make things worse for Keshi; I don't want him to mess it up." Kaito said.

"But how will our help make him mess it up?" Juni asked.

"I just don't want to say or do anything that'll make him screw it up."

"But how will tha-"

"Look, Juni. If I had this chance to get to know my dad, I'd take it. I don't want Keshi to mess up that chance." Kaito said aggressively.

"But it's completely different, Keshi's dad left, your dad d-" Juni stopped himself.

"I know..." Kaito replied. "Keshi needs to deal with this and make the decision himself and come to terms with it, I don't want to pressure him either way." Kaito said. Juni nodded at him.

"Are you two okay?" Ushio asked as she got up from placing the film's disk in the player.

"Yeah, fine." Kaito said as he walked over and took a seat, Ushio sat down next to him. Juni sighed as he felt a finger poking him in the back, he turned around.

"Hey" He said smiling as he saw Kumiko's face.

"Are you okay?" She asked, holding three plates of pasta in her arms.

"Yeah, let me help you." He said, taking two plates off of her.

"Thanks" Kumiko said as they smiled at each other.

"Kumiko... What is that?" Yumi asked, pointing to a fat ball of fur on the floor.

"That's my cat, Bento" Kumiko laughed as she looked towards the sleeping cat.

"You called your cat Bento?" Kaito asked. Kumiko nodded. Kaito leant over to Yumi and whispered in her ear.

"At least I'm better at nicknames than her" He laughed. Yumi nodded. That was very true, she thought to herself. Kumiko brought the rest of the plates over as she shared out the food she had prepared amongst her friends. In the kitchen, on the counter, an extra plate sat there. It was completely empty.

December 5th, 2023.

Dear diary, didn't I say I'd write her again soon? I keep my promises. We're all taking Takeshi out after school today. He doesn't seem as bad as he did on Sunday. I guess he's calmed down a bit, though he hasn't said anything about it at all. I feel so sorry for him; I really wish I could help him more.  
>For some reason, Kaito has been acting really strange about it; I don't want to ask him about it since Juni said it wouldn't be a good idea.<br>On a lighter note, I made a call back for an audition; the only problem is I'm going to have to miss some drama club meetings. I hope Kaito and Ushio can handle it. I also hope the student council don't find out, it wouldn't look well if the club president missed a lot of meetings. It's not like they'll let me step down from the role either, I am the most experienced after all...  
>To tell you the truth, I can't stop thinking about Takeshi; he got so angry about it. You can't blame him though. I knew something was going to go wrong, maybe I'm psychic?<br>Honestly, it is kind of weird that I'm talking to you like this.

- Yumi

Yumi closed her diary and made her way down stairs to get her breakfast. Her parents had already left for work. Yumi felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, she checked it. She had a message from Takeshi. It was 8:00 am, this was way too early for him to be up, she thought. Opening the message she began to read it. 'Hey Yumi. I just wanted to say thanks in advance for today, I kind of need a break. By the way, why did the chicken cross the road?... Because Kentucky was on it's side. That was pretty bad right? Anyway, see you later.' Yumi smiled at the text, it looked like he really meant it, she thought as she examined his use of grammar. Yumi laughed at the joke; this one was actually quite amusing, considering how bad it was. She replied to him 'I laughed at that one.' A few moments later she got a reply. Looking at the text there was only one thing in the message. It read ':-)'. Yumi placed the phone back into her pocket and made her way into the kitchen to prepare her breakfast.

**~*12*~**


	13. Arcade Ahoy!

**~*13*~**

"So how was he today?" Kumiko asked as she, Ushio, Juni and Yumi stood outside the arcade, waiting on Takeshi and Kaito.

"I don't know" Yumi replied "He hasn't been in school since Saturday."

"So no one has seen him?" Ushio asked.

"No, he hasn't even spoken to me and Kaito since we told him that Yumi had planned for us to go out today." Juni replied.

"He sent me a text this morning, he seemed okay." Yumi stated. The four of them stood there, looking out for their two friends. Since they had finished school for the day they had changed into their normal clothes, it was usually against school policy for them to wear their uniforms out, a policy which was often ignored. Ushio wore her favourite hat along with a black jacket and slim jeans. She also had a pair of fluffy boots on her feet. Kumiko wore a blue jacket yet maintained similar attire, minus the hat. Yumi wore her usual hoodie and leggings, complete with her bright white converse. Juni stuck out from the casual outfits of the three girls. He wore a smart black jumper along with dark trousers, which he had yet to give back to Kaito. He also wore a pair of simple shoes. Juni lifted his arm up, checking his watch.

"They're late." He said.

"We can give them a couple of minutes" Yumi began; she looked up one of the roads. It lead to the area where Takeshi lived, she sighed. "They'll show up."

"Dude, hurry up." Kaito said as Takeshi strolled along behind him.

"I still don't get why you called for me, I mean you live the furthest away from me. Did you move and not tell anyone?" Takeshi asked in a sarcastic manner.

"You lashed out the last time you were with Yumi... I thought this would be for the best." Kaito muttered.

"I had my reasons." Takeshi remarked, giving a serious look towards Kaito.

"Don't take it to heart man, things just got a little crazy is all."

"Yep."

"Just think next time, okay?" Kaito suggested.

"Are you picking a fight?" Takeshi asked, stopping behind Kaito. The dark haired boy came to a halt as he turned around.

"What did you say?" Kaito asked.

"Are you picking a fight?" Takeshi repeated "You're starting to cross a line, the shit that's going on with me isn't any of your business."

"Keshi, I'm your friend." Kaito said, placing his hands into his pockets and taking a relaxed stance.

"You think that changes anything?" Takeshi asked "You're making it out like I'm going to be violent towards everyone."

"No I'm not; I kinda think your overreacting right now though." Kaito stated. Takeshi shook his head, pushing past his friend he continued to walk down the street. "Keshi, where are you going?" Kaito asked.

"To meet _my_ friends."

"Aren't we gonna sort this out?!" Kaito yelled.

"There's nothing to sort out" Takeshi replied. Kaito sighed at his friend and followed, keeping a distance behind him.

The two friends maintained their silence all the way to the arcade. Juni noticed two figures making their way towards him. One of them wore a white, long sleeved top under a buttoned blue shirt, with dark jeans and red shoes, Kaito. The other, Takeshi, wore a yellow zipped hoodie; he also wore dark jeans and sneakers. "They're here" Juni said as he saw them coming his way. The three girls looked in the direction of the two boys, they looked rather uncomfortable.

"Takeshi!" Yumi shouted as he made his way over. He gave a weak smile as he reached the four of them.

"How are you?" Ushio asked, smiling at him. Takeshi nodded at her.

"Fine" He replied. Kaito came up behind him, standing off away from the five of them.

"Kaito, are you okay?" Kumiko asked. The others looked over, all except Takeshi. Kaito smiled and nodded.

"Okay! Let's get going!" Yumi bellowed, pushing her friends into the arcade. Kaito followed slowly behind.

The arcade wasn't very busy, only a few teenagers were inside. It had calmed down a lot over the years. "You seriously like this place?" Kaito asked Yumi.

"Of course!" She replied "It allows me to bring out my competitive side!" She laughed.

"I see." Kaito mumbled. Yumi grabbed Takeshi by his arm and pulled him over to two racing simulators.

"Come on Takeshi, race me." She said.

"Sure" He laughed "Why not." The two placed in a coin each and began their race. On the other side of the arcade Juni and Kumiko were playing a game of foosball, neither were doing very well. Kaito stood near the entrance; he was leaning against the wall as Ushio approached him.

"Aren't you going to play anything?" She asked with her usual smile across her face. Kaito smiled back at her and began to loosen up.

"Nah, I'm not really in the mood today." He replied

"Well if that's the case, Ill stay with you." She giggled, moving next to him as she leaned against the wall. "What's wrong?" Ushio asked. Kaito looked towards her, but his eyes found their way towards the floor.

"Everything's so messed up." He said.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ushio asked. Kaito hesitated for a moment.

"I dunno Ushio; I don't want to bore you with it all." He replied, Ushio shook her head, her smile  
>turned into frown.<p>

"Please don't think like that Kaito, I'd never get bored listen to yo-"She stopped her words. Kaito looked at her, raising an eyebrow. Ushio blushed. "Um, what I meant is, I, I'm always here to talk to about things... You know?" She said. Kaito smiled at her and nodded.

"Thank you, the same goes for you." He said. Ushio smiled back as she tilted her head.

"So, what's the matter?" She asked in her cheerful voice.

"It's just everything with Keshi... I..."

"What?"

"There's things, reasons that I can't tell you about." Kaito said.

"To do with Takeshi?"

"No, to do with me."

"Oh" Ushio uttered, looking down. Kaito sighed.

"There are a lot of things going on with me, at home I mean."

"With your parents?" Ushio asked.

"...Kind of. Look, this whole thing to do with Takeshi's dad, it's just complicated." Kaito explained.

"How?"

"If I was in his position, I would do everything I could to get to know my dad. I just feel like he's  
>missing his chance, one that he's lucky to have." He said.<p>

"I see" Ushio replied.

"Takeshi told me I was crossing a line. He said it didn't matter that we were friends; he wanted me to back off. I didn't even realise I was having a go at him." Kaito explained, leaning his head back against the wall so he was looking up towards the ceiling. Ushio placed a finger to her lips, as if she was trying to think of a response. Kaito watched as she pursed her lips up against her delicate finger.

"Kaito, everyone is different. People react to things and deal with things in different ways. Takeshi is just finding his own way to do so."

"I suppose."

"I understand you're worried, I know that you would take this chance but, Takeshi isn't you. Takeshi is Takeshi. Right?" She concluded, smiling. Kaito felt a warmth come over his body, he became a lot calmer from Ushio's words.

"You know, you're actually pretty smart." He smiled.

"Thanks but I wouldn't say that, I think you just need to step back and look at it all in a different way." She said as Kaito nodded. "Okay! Let's go!"

"Where are we going?" Kaito asked as Ushio lead him away.

"We're taking Kumi and Juni on at foosball; they'll be easy to beat." She laughed. Kaito grinned as he and Ushio walked over to their friends, ready to take them on.

An hour later the six of them came out of the arcade. It was around 7 pm, it was getting dark. "So what's everyone doing now?" Yumi asked.

"I should probably get going... I have a few things to do at home, you guys go look round the shops or something." Kaito said. The others nodded at his words.

"I'm glad you came out though" Ushio smiled.

"Yeah, it was fun." Kumiko laughed "Especially when Juni and I beat you two". Kaito laughed at her words, as did the others. Going quiet, Kaito looked to Takeshi.

"Can I speak with you before I go Keshi?" He asked. Takeshi had his arms folded, he stayed quiet for a moment but nodded slowly.

"We'll go wait over by the dress shop." Yumi stated as she began walking off.

"Dresses?" Juni asked as he and Kumiko walked off after saying their goodbyes. Ushio looked at Kaito; she smiled at him and gave a thumbs up, wishing him good luck. She followed her friends.

"So what is it?" Takeshi asked.

"Look man, I'm sorry about earlier. I know you're going through some stuff right now." Kaito apologised. Takeshi nodded.

"Yeah, me too. I get how you feel Kaito; I know what you would do... And why you would do it." Takeshi sighed. "You just don't understand what this guy did to my mom. She was heart broken, she's been so lonely. Then when my bro left for college, I was all she had left. I'd love for her to meet someone but not this guy. Not this person who claims to be my dad yet was drugged up enough to walk out on his family."

"Yeah, I get it." Kaito said, nodding.

"I'm sorry I got so angry the other day, it's just hard. Don't worry I'm going to apologise to Yumi." He vowed.

"Good, for some reason she seems really fond of you, she wants to help." Kaito explained.

"Yeah..." Takeshi agreed. He let out a sigh before he continued to speak. "The reason I've missed school the past couple of days is because we've been trying to sort everything out. That guy wants to come back, to try and be a family man again. We've been arguing for days, my mom's been upset. She doesn't know what to do." Takeshi said, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. Kaito was surprised to see that these weren't the usual comedic tears Takeshi would so often fake.

"But what about your brother?" Kaito asked.

"He knows about it, he can't come here though. I mean he's really busy at college. I don't blame him for not coming home to sort it out, to be honest... Look, my mom came to a decision, she said I could decide. I could decide if this guy gets to be part of our family, whether I want him as a dad or not."

"And?"

"I haven't said anything about it yet, she told me today, before I left to come out. That's why I was so sharp with you. I, I just need someone there with me when I tell this guy what I want to tell him. I need some support." Takeshi said. Kaito had never seen his friend so vulnerable and open. The last place Kaito wanted to be was in the centre of Takeshi's family drama, he didn't agree with Takeshi's view on it one bit. However, Kaito swallowed his pride, his friend was more important.

"I'll come with you man." He said.

"I don't want to make you." Takeshi replied, Kaito shook his head.

"Trust me, I'm here for you." Kaito told his friend, the fair haired boy smiled.

"Thanks man." Takeshi said "We'll do it tomorrow yeah? After school."

"Sure." Kaito nodded. They shook hands as Takeshi turned to go over to the four figures looking in the dress shop. "Wait, can I ask you something?" Kaito yelled as Takeshi walked off.

"Yeah?" His friend said, coming to a stop.

"It's weird, you and Yumi. There's nothing going on there right?"

"Jealous?" Takeshi said in jest.

"Yeah right" Kaito laughed.

"Nah man, we're just friends, she's good to talk to. Besides, we've got one couple in the group, there's no way we need another!" He said, laughing as he walked off. Kaito watched his friend walk away.

"I suppose so." He mumbled as he began walking away himself, listening to the laughter of his friends in the distance.

December 5th, 2023

Dear diary... I'm probably gonna stop that or I'll go crazy from writing it. I know I've already written in here today but I thought I'd tell you how today went. Takeshi was a little down at first but he came around. I 'owned' him at racing, his words not mine. I think we managed to take his mind of his worries for a while, he seemed to have fun.  
>It's strange. A few weeks ago I couldn't stand him, after getting to know him though; he's really not a bad guy. In fact he's lovely, for a lack of a better word. He's definitely an idiot a lot of the time but he has a good heart, he's really funny...<br>Don't get the wrong idea; I don't like him in that way. He's just a friend, a special one at that.  
>After we left the arcade we all went to look around the shops for a while. Kaito went home early, I still think something is wrong with him, again though, Juni said not to ask. I think I'll just leave him be for a while, I've been told I can be a bit forward with certain things.<br>Getting back on topic, while we were shopping Takeshi took me aside and apologised for what happened Sunday. It was surreal, I have to say. Takeshi being nice is one thing but apologising is something else. It didn't matter though, I was just glad he was okay. We had a lot of fun together, all of us I mean.  
>For some reason I get the feeling that Ushio may be interested in Kaito, I saw them speaking in the arcade. They looked quite close while they were having their chat. I don't know though, would those two be good together? What do you think?<br>Okay, I'm asking you about your thoughts on other people's relationships... Maybe I should see a shrink?  
>Just to let you know, there's been no change with my parents.<p>

- Yumi

Kaito watched the plastic wrapped food slowly spin around inside the microwave. He looked at the clock in his bare kitchen. It read 11:12 pm; Kaito yawned at the sight of it. He'd had quite a bit of trouble getting his grandmother into her bed that night. Feeling a vibration in his pocket, he pulled out his phone and saw that someone was calling him. A name appeared across the phone's screen, 'Ushio is calling'. Kaito became confused at the name across his phone. What is she doing calling me? He thought. Has something happened? He slid his finger across the phone, accepting the call. He brought the phone to his ear. "Ushio?" he asked.

"Hi." A gentle voice said across the phone line.

"Why are you calling?" Kaito laughed.

"I couldn't sleep..." Ushio replied.

"Oh, why?"

"I was thinking of you." Ushio said. Kaito felt his stomach drop as he let out an uneasy laugh.

"W-What?"

"You and Takeshi, how did it go? Your talk I mean." She laughed.

"Oh, that. Yeah it was fine, we're all good."

"Oh, that's good news." Ushio said, even though he couldn't see her he knew she was smiling.

"Yep, he's sorting it all out tomorrow, he wants me there with him."

"You're going to help him with it?"

"Yeah."

"Good, see Kaito you're looking at it in a different way, from Takeshi's view right?" Ushio said, echoing her statement from earlier that day.

"Yeah, thanks a lot for the help. You- You're a good friend." He said quietly. There's was a slight pause of silence from the two, it was fairly brief yet it felt longer.

"Thanks." Ushio replied "I'm sorry I called so late."

"No, no don't worry about it. I was bored anyway."

"Okay, well I'll see you tomorrow." She said.

"Yeah" He replied as she hung the phone up. Kaito placed his phone back in his pocket. He looked over his shoulder; the microwave had come to a stop. He opened the door and pulled out his meal. "Shit" He moaned. The meal had burnt around the edges and the middle looked almost uncooked. "That's what I get for having the world's cheapest microwave." He sighed. He placed the inedible meal into the kitchen bin. Turning out the lights, he made his way to his room. Getting into his bed, stomach growling, he closed his eyes in his attempt to drift off to somewhere else, somewhere far away. A place where he hoped his wishes would come true.

**~*13*~**


	14. My Responsibility, My Duty

**~*14*~**

The rain hit against the classroom window as Kumiko and Ushio sat at their desks, listening to their homeroom teacher give her announcements. During November the weather had been unusually warm however, that had soon come and gone. It was December, the 6th to be exact and rain was all that fell from the sky above Hikarizaka. Ushio sat at her desk, pencil in hand she placed the top of it towards her lips and began to chew on it. Staring forward, ever so bored she found her mind lost as she ignored the drawn out voice of her teacher. She began to drift off, and off, off and black.

Ushio's eyes opened as she felt someone shaking her by the shoulder. She looked up and saw Kumiko smiling at her. "Morning" Kumiko laughed. Ushio let out a yawn. "Did you not sleep well?"

"Not really." Ushio replied. She looked around the classroom, it was empty.

"Its lunch time" Kumiko said, noticing her friend's confusion.

"Right, why didn't Yoshida-Sensei wake me up?"

"I guess she didn't notice that you were asleep."

"Yeah, she probably wouldn't." Ushio said, rising up from her seat. She looked out of the window, the rain was still pouring down outside. Through the glass she could see the courtyard below, the usual spot she had lunch. "It looks like we'll have to eat inside today."

"Where?" Kumiko asked.

"Why don't we go to the club room today? We can ask the others if they want to." Ushio suggested.

"Sure, sounds good." Kumiko agreed.

"Kumiko just texted me" Takeshi said as he, Yumi and Kaito made their way out of their class.

"She says her and Ushio are eating in your club room today. Wanna go?"

"Sure." Yumi replied. Kaito felt in his pockets and pulled out some spare change.

"Yeah, I'm going to go get some anpan or something first." He said "I'll meet you there."

"I'll go with you man." Takeshi stated. Yumi smiled at them.

"Okay, I guess I'll see you two up there." She turned around and began walking off to the club room. The two boys made their way to the cafeteria entrance.

"It's always busy when we get here." Takeshi sighed.

"Yep, we should probably try to get here earlier next time." Kaito replied, walking over to one of the smaller queues.

"Ah, Juni's with them as well." Takeshi announced, checking his phone.

"Cool" Kaito replied. The two stood in the queue, neither one said much. They were a couple of feet away from the counter when Takeshi spoke up.

"You okay man?" He asked. Kaito widened his eyes, as if he was returning back to reality.

"Yeah, why?"

"You just seem a bit quiet today." Takeshi remarked. Kaito shrugged as Takeshi rolled his eyes at his guarded friend. They came to the front of the queue. The beefy woman at the till spoke.

"What'll it be kid?" She asked in a gruff voice.

"Anpan please" Kaito said.

"220" She replied.

"What?"

"220 yen."

"You're kidding right? It was 175 last week." Kaito moaned.

"Prices change kid."

"Why the hell did it go up? How am I supposed to know that? It's not like I'm rolling in money."

"It's over there." The woman said, pointing her round finger across the cafeteria. A sign towards  
>the back of room read 'Anpan has been raised to 220'.<p>

"Still, I don't have enough money for anything else" Kaito sighed.

"Come on kid, pay up or leave. You're holding up the line."

"Whatever." Kaito yelled, walking off away from the line of students. Kaito and Takeshi exited the cafeteria.

"That sucks man." Takeshi said as they began walking towards the club rooms.

"Aren't you eating?" Kaito asked.

"I've got this." Takeshi replied, holding up a bento lunch box.

"Did... _You_ make that?"

"Yumi." Takeshi smiled.

"Why would she do that?" Kaito questioned. Takeshi shrugged his shoulders.

"Dunno, I think she's just looking out for me at the moment." He smiled. "I suppose I'll share it with you though." He laughed, nudging his friend. "Don't worry, I got your back."

"Gee, thanks." Kaito sighed as they continued their way to the drama club room to meet the others.

"You're sure it's okay for us to be in here Yumi?" Juni asked as the four of them ate their bentos.

"Yeah, it's not as if it's being used for anything besides the drama club, we're not causing any trouble either." She smiled. Juni nodded in reply. The old door swung open as Takeshi and Kaito walked in. They both took a seat at the small table. Takeshi sat down next to Yumi, Kaito sat in between Takeshi and Juni.

"How's it going?" Juni asked as they sat down.

"Fine" Kaito replied in a coarse voice.

"I hope you like the food Takeshi." Yumi said, making space for the two boys at the table.

"I'm sure it'll be great." Takeshi replied.

"You made him a bento?" Ushio asked.

"Yes, he'll need all the strength he has for today." Yumi said, looking to Takeshi.

"Why, what are you doing today?" Kumiko asked. Takeshi looked down at the table.

"...I'm sorry, I thought everyone knew." Yumi apologised. Takeshi lifted his head and smiled at her.

"Don't worry its fine honestly. I'm feeling a lot calmer about it anyways." He let out a sigh "My da- well, that guy wants to move back home, to come live with us again. My mom's totally confused about it all; she didn't know what to do about it. Before we all went out yesterday, she talked to me about it. She told me it was my choice. She said I was more important, if I wanted to have this guy be my dad I could. If not, she'd make sure I'd never have to see him again."

"Your mom must really care about you" Ushio said, smiling. Takeshi nodded.

"Yeah. I've decided I'm going to tell him I don't want him around. I've managed this long without him, if anything it's made me a stronger person than I would be if he was around." Takeshi said, the five others listened to his words. All the while Kaito nodded along, knowing full well the story Takeshi was reciting. "The guy's addicted to drugs, or he was. I don't even know anymore. He got hooked on it while my mom was pregnant with me. He had already been there for my brother before I was born; apparently he was a real dad for 3 years. Then, when I came along everything changed. He couldn't handle being a parent. My mom told me he worked a lot; it got too stressful for him so he tried to have some kind of release... He was a weak person. He ruined my mom's life." Takeshi sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"You know, if you need someone there with yo-" Yumi began.

"Kaito's coming with me." Takeshi said as Yumi went quiet. Ushio looked over at Kaito, she caught his eye. She nodded at him, remembering the conversation they had over the phone the night prior. Kaito looked away.

"In that case, you can skip the meeting today Kaito, its fine since it's for something like this." Yumi said. Ushio nodded.

"I agree" She added.

"Thanks" Takeshi said, smiling.

"Anyway, Yumi's right. You should eat something." Kaito said. Takeshi nodded and opened the bento that Yumi had prepared.

"Smells good" Takeshi said, complimenting her.

"Thanks, I hope its okay."

"You kidding?" He remarked, looking inside "I love fried rice" He smiled "You want some Kaito?"

"No, you go ahead." He replied.

"I said I'd let you. Come on it's not like you have anything to eat."

"You can have some of mine if you want?" Juni offered as Kaito shook his head.

"Are you sure? I have plenty" Kumiko added.

"Seriously, its fine" Kaito replied bluntly.

"What's wrong?" Juni asked.

"It's nothing." He replied.

"You can tell us Kai-"Ushio began but she was cut off by a loud bang. Kaito had slammed his fist down onto the table, creating a silence among them. "Kaito..."

"I'm fine alright?! Just drop it!"

"Dude, what the hell's going on?" Takeshi yelled as Yumi grabbed his arm, as he turned to her she shook her head. The five of them looked on at Kaito. He was stood up, fist still planted to the table, breathing heavily.

"Just leave me alone." He muttered as he made his way to the door. "Just leave me alone... All of you." Kaito swung the large door open, stepping outside he slammed it shut behind him. The five others sat at the table, confused by Kaito's actions.

"What the hell was that about?" Yumi asked.

"I have no idea..." Juni muttered as they sat there, still pondering the behaviour of their friend.

Kaito sat on the floor, back against the wall in the empty hallway. His head was buried in his hands. Though his head was covered by his arms he could make out a muffled voice talking to him. He raised his head. He was met with a pretty girl with straight black hair, she had striking yellow eyes. "Hiroshima?" He asked, it was a student from his class "What do you want?" He asked, rubbing his arm against his moist cheeks, they had been dampened by his tears.

"I asked if you were okay." She replied.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure Sakumoto? You don't seem it." She asked, a smile appeared across her pale face.

"Why are you even speaking to me?" He asked "I thought I was a bum, remember?"

"That wasn't me who said that." She replied.

"Well, you sure didn't stop that asshole Saburou from kicking me out of the club."

"You said he couldn't play the guitar."

"He can't." Kaito sneered. She let out a laugh and took a seat on the floor next to Kaito.

"Don't tell him but I agree, he's not the best."

"Yet I was still kicked out."

"I hear you're in the drama club now, at least you've found somewhere right?"

"I guess." He replied. She gave him a warm smile. Kaito's stomach rumbled, she laughed.

"Did you not get anything to eat then? I saw you in line."

"Not yet."

"Here." She said, opening her bag and taking out a bar of chocolate. She snapped off a few  
>squares as she shared it with Kaito.<p>

"You sure?" He asked, she nodded "Thanks."

"So why are you sat here?" She asked as they munched on their chocolate.

"I just had a bit of break down... Just have some things going on so I wanted to be alone."

"Do you want me to leave?" She asked.

"No, no. I didn't mean that. To be honest your being pretty good company." He laughed, she smiled at him. "What about you?"

"I was just trying to find a text book I lost after the music meeting the other day."

"What text book was it?" Kaito asked.

"Maths."

"You're better off without it." He laughed as she nodded at his words.

"I wish I didn't need it but I do. Honestly, I'm terrible at maths."

"Well, that makes two of us." Kaito said, they both smiled at each other. "Want some help finding your book?" He asked.

"If you don't mind, two heads are better than one so I guess four eyes are better than two. Right?" She chuckled.

"That's true." He smiled. Kaito got up from the floor and placed a hand out to Hiroshima. She looked up to him and reached out, he pulled her up. "Where to first?" He asked.

"The music room" She said as they began walking off to look for her book.

Ushio, Takeshi, Yumi, Juni and Kumiko exited the drama club room. "Definitely the best fried rice I've ever had." Takeshi bellowed. Yumi blushed slightly, smiling at him.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." She laughed.

"I just hope Kaito's okay" Ushio whispered to Kumiko.

"I'm sure he will be" She replied "He clearly has something going on that he doesn't want to talk about. I mean how much do we really know about him?" She replied.

"I suppose."

"I wouldn't worry about it." Juni interrupted. "Kaito's always guarded about this kind of thing, he rarely opens up." Turning the corner the six of them were met with a familiar sight. Kaito was stood towards the end of the corridor, looking inside a classroom. He had a smile across his face. Ushio was about to call out when a very pretty girl came out of the classroom, holding a book.

"Thanks again" The girl said "I honestly wouldn't have found it without you." She smiled.

"Don't worry about it, took my mind off of things to be honest." Kaito replied.

"Who's that?" Ushio asked.

"Mayumi Hiroshima" Takeshi said.

"She's in our class." Yumi added.

"Listen" Mayumi began "Before we go back to class, I was wondering what you're doing after school today?" She asked.

"Why?"

"Well, I was going to go see a movie with a friend but they cancelled on me. I was wondering if you wanted to go instead." She stated, twirling a strand of her dark hair.

"Oh, I can't actually. I'm supposed to help a friend out with something after school, you know Takeshi... well, Fujimoto." Kaito said. His friends were starting to move away from the two of them but Ushio looked on. She had a small frown on her face. She felt a small tap on her shoulder. Turning around she saw Kumiko.

"Come on" She said "I'm sure he's okay." Kumiko linked arms with her friend as they walked off.

"You two are pretty close aren't you?" Mayumi asked.

"Yeah" Kaito laughed "He's not so bad when you get to know him."

"I see" The girl looked up at him and smiled.

"Why don't we go another time?" Kaito asked. Mayumi nodded.

"Sure, that sounds good." She said. The two of them headed off down the hallway. Passing the drama club room Kaito looked in. He saw the small table in the centre of the room as six chairs lay around it. "Are you okay?" Mayumi asked as Kaito came to a stop.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine" He smiled "Let's go to class".

"Come on then." She replied as they made their way out of the hallway and off towards their classroom.

"Sakumoto, I need to speak with you before you leave." Mr Miyagi said as the students began packing up, it was the end of the day and the bell had just rang.

"I'll wait for you outside" Takeshi said as Kaito made his way to the front of the class. Kaito nodded. Walking past Mayumi he smiled at her, she smiled back. As the last of the students exited the room Mr. Miyagi began to speak.

"How's it going lately Kaito?" He asked.

"Okay I guess."

"Your grandmother, how she is?" Mr. Miyagi asked, offering a seat to Kaito as he sat down. Kaito hesitated for a moment.

"...I dunno, it's been hard I suppose. She's been worse these past few weeks." Kaito replied.

"Which is why you've been so stressed out?"

"You can tell?" Kaito asked.

"Kaito, I've known you for three years, of course I can tell. You've been off, not as cheerful as usual."

"I guess, I've sort of been taking it out on my friends... I know I shouldn't be but I've just been so angry, all the time." Kaito sighed. "Does that make me a bad person at all? I always wonder about it."

"Kaito, you're not a bad person. You're a very good person... You've just had a lot of bad luck." Mr. Miyagi stated. "Don't let it drag you down anymore, you've come so far with all you've been through."

"Yeah, okay." He nodded.

"I've actually got some good news to tell you." He said. Kaito looked up, surprised.

"It's been a long time since I've heard that." He laughed. Mr. Miyagi smiled.

"Your attendance has gone back up. You've improved your reputation a bit by attending your drama meetings as well."

"Really?"

"Yes, although that's not to say you can go back to your old ways, you still need to graduate." He laughed.

"Fair enough" Kaito smiled.

"Attendance to school is compulsory of course, on the other hand the drama club isn't. So it's entirely up to you." He smiled.

"Really? That's good."

"That's all the good news I have" He laughed. Kaito nodded and got up from his seat."Oh, and Kaito."

"Yes sir?"

"Again, if you ever need anything come to me, okay?"

"Thanks a lot, I appreciate it." He smiled; Mr Miyagi waved him off as he left the classroom.

Takeshi was leaning against a wall outside of his classroom. He tilted his head up as Kaito walked over. "Yo" He said.

"We going to do this then?" Kaito asked.

"Yeah but I need to talk to you first."

"Look Keshi, if it's about lunch today then I really don't want to talk about it." Kaito stated bluntly.

"If that's the case then I have to tell ya, you can't act like that." Takeshi said. Kaito folded his arms. "Honestly, if you go about making a scene like that then all you're doing is making your friends worry. If you're not going to talk to any of us about it then you can't be acting like that in front of any of us. It's not fair to anyone." Takeshi sighed "Yesterday you had a go at me for acting the way I did in front of you and Yumi. Now you've gone and done the same thing. If you're not going to tell us about your problems then don't make one. Got it?" Takeshi said. Kaito was caught off guard; this was first time he had ever been truly scolded by his friend. "We're all worried man... Especially Ushio."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kaito asked.

"You know exactly what it means." Takeshi stated. Kaito let out a deep sigh.

"Yeah, okay." He replied.

"We good?" Takeshi asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay, you've got my back today right?" He asked.

"Always" Kaito said as he placed out his hand, Takeshi shook it and they set off towards Takeshi home.

A while later they came to Takeshi's house. Takeshi stood there, breathing deeply. "Here we are man, you nervous?" Kaito asked. Takeshi nodded. "I'm here okay?" Takeshi nodded again and opened the door. Walking inside they saw Marcus sat down in the living room. Takeshi's mother was in the kitchen. She saw the two boys come inside.

"Oh, hello Kaito" Takeshi's mother said as she saw her son's friend.

"Hello Chiaki, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine thank you, yourself?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"Mom, I need to speak with him. I've come to a decision okay?" Takeshi said.

"Are you sure you want to do this in front of your friend?"

"I asked him here."

"If you're sure sweetie, Kaito come and take a seat in the living room with us." She said. Kaito followed as they sat down with Takeshi's father.

"I've come to a decision about it." Takeshi said as he faced the blonde haired man across the room. The man nodded.

"First I want you to give me some answers."

"Ask away." Marcus said.

"I want to know the real reason you left us. The reason you ran away from your family and rejected your duty." Takeshi's harsh words didn't seem to phase the man.

"As you know, I became addicted to drugs. Weed, Coke, Es... It doesn't matter what it was now. The point is I needed it. I got into a lot of debt, debt which I was unable to pay off. So I ran, I endangered your lives to feed my own desires... For that I'm sorry. After that I did some time in prison, as you know" He said. Takeshi looked to his mother who looked down at her feet. Kaito felt uneasy, he knew he didn't want to be here but Takeshi had asked him, if this guy was the crook Takeshi thought he was then Kaito would be there if needed.

"You're English right?" Takeshi asked.

"American." The man replied.

"Okay, I want to know how you met my mom." Takeshi said.

"What, you never told him?" Marcus asked, raising his voice.

"Why would I? He didn't need to even know about you!"

"I'm his father!" The man yelled. Kaito clenched his fist.

"Stop!" Takeshi shouted as Kaito relaxed his hand "Tell me." He said.

"I was studying over here, Japanese language and culture. I met your mother one night and we got along."

"That's it? You're a real Romeo..." Takeshi retorted. The man scoffed at his words. "Lastly, I want to know if you ever did anything to hurt my mom, besides walking out on her." Takeshi said. Both his mother and father went quiet. "Well?" He asked.

"There was an occasion, I came in drunk. We had an argument, about you." He began; Takeshi braced himself for the inevitable. "One thing lead to another..."

"He hit me. Didn't you? You hit me right across the face." Chiaki said. The man looked down.

"That's all I needed to know." Takeshi said. "I want you to know, I'm not letting you back into our lives. I don't want you here." The man looked up. "I forgive you for walking out on me, I don't need you, I don't need a father. I will never forgive you for what you've done to my mom and I'll never forget it either." Takeshi said. The man got up from his seat and walked over to the door.

"I guess that's that then." He said.

"There's something else I want to say." Takeshi said, walking over to him. "I want to thank you for what you did; I want to thank you for walking out on your family." Kaito and Chiaki were confused at Takeshi's words. "I want to thank you because you've made me stronger. I will never do that to my children, I will never let them down or do anything to hurt them or my friends or my family. I'll be a better father and man than you could ever hope to be. That's the only thing you've done for me. I want you to know that, who ever I end up spending my life with; I want you to know I will never hurt that person." Takeshi concluded, folding his arms. The man looked at him as a faint smile came across his face.

"I know it doesn't mean anything to you" He began "But I'm proud of you. It takes a real man to say something like that."

"You're right; it doesn't mean anything to me." Takeshi replied. The man grabbed his duffle bag from the floor and swung it over his shoulder. Reaching for the door he turned his head towards his son.

"Good luck kid." He said. Stepping out the door he sighed as he walked out of the house and their lives. Takeshi shut the door behind Marcus. He turned to face Kaito and Chiaki. A tear rolled down his eye as his mother walked over and embraced him. Kaito looked on at the two who held each other in their arms. Kaito nodded as he felt like he finally understood. He finally understood his friend, one of his best friends, Takeshi Fujimoto.

**~*14*~**


	15. Dango Daikazoku

**~*15*~**

"So you're never going to see him again?" Yumi asked.

"Nope" Takeshi replied.

"Never? Not for the rest of your life?"

"Not if he respects mine and my mom's wishes, no." He stated. The two were walking to the school courtyard, they had met on their way to school.

"Well, I'm glad you're okay." Yumi said, smiling.

"Yeah, me too" Takeshi laughed.

"No, seriously Takeshi" Yumi began as she grabbed his arm they came to a stop before the entrance. Takeshi realised she had something to say, he leant against the school gate.

"What's up?" He asked.

"I, I was really worried about you before Takeshi. I don't know if you have noticed but, I've kind of smothered you a bit lately."

"Yeah, I've noticed. You've made me bentos and arranged trips to arcades for me." Takeshi laughed. Yumi nodded.

"Right, I don't want you to get the wrong idea thou-"

"I know, you don't _like_ me or anything and I shouldn't be expecting a confession anytime soon." He laughed.

"...Right." She muttered.

"I don't feel like that either. I mean you're awesome but you're a better friend yanno?" He said, Yumi's face made a frown "Not that I don't think you'd be a good girlfriend!" Takeshi remarked, waving his hands about in an exaggerated manner. "It's just, there's obviously someone out there better for you than someone like me." He laughed. Yumi nodded.

"Right! And the same goes for you, there's someone more suited to you than myself." She agreed. Takeshi laughed, Yumi joined him.

"You know" She began "It's funny; a month ago we would be at each other's throats. Now, it's like you're actually my friend." She smiled.

"It's not like anything" Takeshi stated "We're friends Yumi, of course we are." He smiled, Yumi smiled back. "Come on" He said, gesturing with his head. "Let's go."

Juni, Takeshi, Kumiko, Yumi and Ushio were sat around the small table in the middle of the drama room. They each had a bento open on the table top, each consisting of a different, varied meal. "I'm glad you're okay Keshi" Juni stated.

"Yeah, we were worried about you." Ushio added. Kumiko nodded in agreement.

"You seem to be back to your old self" She smiled.

"Thanks guys, I-" Takeshi began but the door began to slowly creek open. They all looked towards it as Kaito made his way through. He smiled as he walked in and took an empty seat in between Yumi and Kumiko. "Hey buddy." Takeshi said.

"Hey." Kaito muttered. The others looked at him; a silence remained over them all. "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday" Kaito began "I've just been really stressed out lately."

"Its fine." Juni stated.

"No, no it's not." Kaito disagreed. He shook his head and let out a sigh. "You guys are always supportive about things... Like with Keshi." He said, Takeshi nodded at his words. "Juni, Keshi" He said, turning towards his friends "You guys know what's been going on, right?"

"We've had an idea" Juni replied.

"Yeah" Takeshi nodded.

"I feel like I should tell you as well." Kaito stated, looking to each of the three girls.

"Go on then." Yumi said in a dull tone.

"Only if you think you need to" Ushio added, attempting to soften Yumi's words. Kaito nodded, smiling at her.

"For a long time, I've lived with my grandmother. For reason I don't want to get into, I was left there with her. She was good to me, she did everything for me, and she took care of me. About a year ago, she got sick, really sick." He began to go quiet. He took a deep breath. "She stopped remembering things, just little things at first. You know, like dates and that. Then she started forgetting people she knew, things she had done, places she had been to. Sometimes she would remember things, other times she would be completely clueless. At first I thought it was just because she was old, you know? Like she was just forgetting things because that's what people do. One day though, she... She had a fit of some kind. She lashed out and was really violent so I called a doctor to come and see her. He told me that she had symptoms of some kind so she was taken into care for a while, to be looked at and examined. They diagnosed her with dementia." He stopped for a moment, becoming a bit teary eyed.

"You don't have to say anything else." Ushio said in a gentle voice.

"Yeah dude, it's fine really" Takeshi added. Kaito shook his head.

"No, I owe you this" He said, he took a deep breath again and wiped his eyes. "Eventually, after only a few months she got really bad. She wasn't able to cook, clean, dress herself... She couldn't wash. So, we got a carer and she's been with us ever since, coming and going when I'm at school. I wanted to drop out for a while, to stay at home with her but Miyagi convinced me not to."

"He's pretty good like that." Takeshi said. Kaito nodded.

"All she really does now is stay in bed, resting all the time. The past couple of weeks though she's started to become a lot more violent again, she attacked our carer so she's been off for a few days. Right now we have a replacement, she's not as good and my gran's been really upset... I just think it's started to take a toll on me and I've been taking out on you guys." Kaito sighed again "I really am sorry." He said, finally finishing his tale. The five others sat there, thinking over Kaito's words.

"You don't have to apologise" Kumiko said, shaking her head and smiling.

"Yeah Kaito, we understand." Yumi added.

"We all have things that hold us back" Ushio began "Things that make things difficult, sure something's are bigger or far more serious than others but everyone has something. There's really no need to feel like you have to be sorry for something like that." She said as Kaito smiled at her.

"Definitely" Juni said "We're all friends right? We're all here for each other." He smiled. They all nodded.

"I'm glad" Kaito said.

"So dude, this Hiroshima, anything going on betwe-" Takeshi began before he felt a sharp pain in his shin. "Ow!" he cried.

"What?" Juni asked.

"Someone just kicked me!" He yelled, looking around the table. They were all staring at him. His eyes met Ushio's as she looked down at the table. Takeshi laughed. "Err, actually I think it was just myself!"

"You kicked yourself?" Kaito asked.

"Yeah..." Takeshi sighed.

"Well..." Kaito said.

"Classic Takeshi" Juni smiled. The three girls giggled at his words.

"Yeah..." Takeshi said, sighing "Classic Takeshi."

The six of them exited the club room. They began walking down the hallway as Ushio tapped Kaito on the shoulder. He turned around and they came to a stop as their friends continued down the hallway, unaware they had left the other two behind. "Kaito" she said.

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering, what are you doing after school today?" She asked.

"Well, I have no plans. The carer doesn't leave until 8:30 today." He smiled "Why?"

"Well, if you want, I thought you'd like to come over to mine for dinner." She said, tilting her head with a smile.

"Just me?" he asked.

"Yeah, I thought, maybe if you wanted a break... Well, you're always welcome." She laughed in a cheerful tone.

"Um, yeah can do. If you want?"

"Of course" She said. "Just meet me after school, in the courtyard and we'll go from there."

"Okay, I don't think we should let the others know though." He said.

"I suppose, they might think we're up to something" She laughed, Kaito blushed. Stretching his arm behind his head he let out an uneasy laugh.

"Well, just tell the others that you have to see a teacher after school... I'll do the same, then we'll meet up and walk to yours?"

"Okay" She smiled. With that, the two headed off to class to continue the rest of the day.

"Hello Sakumoto." A voice said as Kaito was packing away his things. He looked up, there stood Hiroshima, smiling at him.

"Oh, hello Hiroshima" He said, smiling back.

"What are you doing now?" She asked.

"Just going to a friend's house" He replied.

"Oh, okay. I was just wondering if you wanted to go see that movie." She laughed.

"Yeah, sorry." He smiled.

"You're busy" She smiled "Its fine." She waved goodbye as she made her way out of the classroom.

"Yo, Kaito!" A voice called out. Kaito looked over to see Takeshi and Yumi stood by the doorway.

"You coming?" He asked.

"No, I have to go see a teacher about something, you guys go ahead."

"You sure?" Yumi asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay..." Takeshi replied as they too exited the classroom.

"Yumi and Takeshi are waiting outside. Are you coming?" Kumiko asked.

"Actually, I have to see Yoshino-Sensei about something, you go ahead. Walk home with them." She smiled.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes" She nodded. Kumiko waved as she left the classroom, Ushio sighed. She didn't enjoy lying to her friend, even about something as simple as this.

"So they're both seeing teachers?" Juni asked "I wonder why?"

"Who knows" Yumi remarked.

"Sorry Juni, guess you're walking home by yourself" Takeshi laughed.

"He's coming over to mine" Kumiko said.

"Oh... You guys _hanging out _are ya?" Takeshi laughed.

"Pretty much" Juni laughed as he Kumiko and Yumi set off, leaving Takeshi behind.

"Wait up!" He yelled as he ran after them.

Ushio stood in the courtyard, waiting for Kaito to meet her. "Hey!" A voice yelled. She turned and saw Kaito making his way over to her.

"Hi" She replied with a giggle.

"We good to go?" He asked.

"Sure" She smiled as the two set off down the road.

"So, what are your folks like?" Kaito asked as they walked down the hill past the cherry trees that lay at either side.

"They're really nice." She laughed "My mom's a good cook so you're in for a treat"

"Good to know" He smiled "You're dad isn't going to interrogate me is he?"

"No, he's okay with me bringing friends home. To be honest it's Aki you need to worry about." She laughed.

"Aki?.. Is that your dog or something?" He asked, Ushio burst out laughing. "What's so funny?"

"If Aki knew you said that, he'd be challenging you to a baseball game right now." She smiled.

"What?" Kaito asked, completely clueless as to what was going on.

"Nothing, Aki is my granddad. He can be intense every now and again." She laughed.

"I see."

"Yep, there's never a dull moment at the Okazaki home" She said, winking.

"Sounds fun." He remarked.

"Yup!" She smiled, giving a thumbs up.

A little while later the two of them came to the rough area of the town. "I still can't believe you have to go through here to get home." He sighed.

"It's fine, I told you before, it's calmed down a lot."

"Still" He replied "You should watch out, you can be a little ditzy." He said.

"What? Why would you say that? That's kind of mean." She said with a frown on her face.

"I'm kidding, don't take things to heart." He replied.

"I don't, that just caught me off guard." She said.

"I wouldn't worry about it; you have Kumi-_Chan_ with you, Takeshi these days as well." He laughed.

"Yeah, he protects us" She smiled.

"I'm sure." Kaito smiled back.

Reaching the garden of Ushio's house Kaito stood at the gateway. "Are you coming in?" She asked as she reached the door. Kaito let out an uneasy laugh.

"You know, this is the first time I've ever been to a girl's house, alone." He said.

"It's the first time I've ever had just a boy over." She smiled. Kaito nodded and made his way over to the door. "The cars not here, so you don't have to worry about the dog" She laughed.

"The dog?"

"Aki, you thought he was a dog remember?"

"Haha, yeah..." He smiled.

"Come on." She said, opening in the door they both walked in.

"Little sister!" A voice yelled as they entered the house. A small figure dashed over to Ushio and embraced her.

"Fu-Chan! What are you doing here?" Ushio asked.

"Kouko brought Fuko over as she wanted to see Nagisa." She replied.

"I see" Ushio said, laughing. Fuko his behind Ushio, her bright eyes peering out at Kaito.

"Who's the weirdo?" She asked.

"We haven't even met yet and you're insulting me?" Kaito asked.

"Fuko, don't be rude." Ushio stated. Fuko let out a sigh.

"Weird guy, what's your name?"

"Kaito Sakumoto." He replied.

"Mr. Weird Sakumoto it is" Fuko announced. Ushio leant over to Kaito.

"Just go with it" She laughed.

"Okay... What's your name?"

"Miss Fu-Chan."She replied.

"So, I call you Fu-Chan?" He asked.

"No!" She yelled. Kaito fell to the floor.

"Then why tell me your name is Fu-Chan?!" He asked, rising from his previous position.

"Fuko is Fuko to you Mr. Weird Sakumoto." She said.

"You know, for some reason I can't argue with that." Kaito said.

"Fu-Chan! Don't be so rude!" A voice called in from the kitchen. Two women walked over to the three of them.

"Aren't you the art teacher?" Kaito asked as the two women made their way over.

"Yes, you helped with the posters the other week, am I right?" Kouko asked.

"Yes miss." Kaito replied. Ushio smiled.

"Kouko, mom, this is Kaito Sakumoto." She said, introducing him.

"It's nice to meet you" Nagisa said "I've heard so much about you"

"Mom!" Ushio yelled "Don't go saying things like that!"

"Is Ushio your girlfriend?" Kouko asked. Kaito blushed.

"Or things like that!" Ushio said.

"Little sister and this guy?!" Fuko yelled "Why sister, why?"

"Fu-Chan, I'm no-"

"Fuko is disappointed." She said, folding her arms. _What the hell have I got myself into?_ Kaito thought.

"Well, it was nice to meet you." Kouko said "We have to get going now."

"It was nice to see you again" Nagisa said "We'll see you soon."

"Goodbye sister... Bye Mr. Weirdo." She said, walking out of the house.

"Bye!" Kouko said as her and Fuko made their way out of the garden and down the road.

"I'm Nagisa" Nagisa said as they closed the door.

"It's nice to meet you" Kaito replied.

"Are you staying for dinner?" She asked.

"If that's okay?" He asked.

"Of course, any friend of Ushio's is a friend of ours." She smiled.

"Is dad home?" Ushio asked.

"In a bit" Nagisa smiled.

"Come on" Ushio said, gesturing for Kaito to take a seat in the living room. They both knelt down at the small table in the middle of the room.

"Do you like pork cutlet and fried rice?" Nagisa asked.

"Yeah" Kaito laughed "I love it."

"Great, that's what we're having!" Nagisa said with a beaming smile on her face. _I never would have guessed_, Kaito thought to himself. As she began to prepare dinner Nagisa began to sing a familiar song. "Dango, Dango, Dango, Dango..."

"What is she singing?" Kaito asked in a whisper as she and Ushio watched her.

"The Big Dango Family of course!" She laughed.

"Dango family?" Kaito asked.

"Don't you know what that is?"

"Like the sweets?"

"Yes!" Ushio smiled.

"Oh, I didn't know that they had a song." He replied.

"Yup! Dango Daikazoku" She laughed.

"I see."

A while later Nagisa was still singing her song as Ushio and Kaito were talking in the living room. Suddenly the front door opened as a blue haired man walked in, he was wearing a pair of grey overalls. "Dad!" Ushio smiled as she ran over to hug him.

"Hey Ushio, how're you doing?" The man asked.

"I'm fine, I have a friend over." She said, pointing to the dark haired boy sat at the table. Nagisa walked over as she embraced him.

"Hey" He said.

"Welcome home" She smiled as they gave each other a kiss. "Ushio brought her boyfriend over." She laughed.

"Mom!" Ushio yelled.

"I'm kidding honey." Nagisa smiled. The blue haired man walked over to Kaito, he stood up.

"What's your name kid?"

"Kaito Sakumoto" He replied.

"Sakumoto huh?" The man nodded. "You're my daughter's boyfriend?" He asked.

"Dad..." Ushio uttered. Nagisa placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her daughter.

"Just her friend" Kaito replied.

"I see." The man said. He folded his arms as Kaito frowned slightly. A grin came across the man's face as he laughed. Kaito was caught off guard and began laughing also. The man placed a hand out to Kaito. "Nice to meet ya kid." He smiled. Kaito shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you too, sir."

"Kid, the names Okazaki... Tomoya Okazaki."

**~*15*~**


	16. Calm Before The Storm

**~*16*~**

"So, tell us a little bit about yourself Mr. Sakumoto." Tomoya said as the four of them sat at the dinner table.

"Not much to tell really" Kaito replied.

"Kaito lives with his grandmother" Ushio stated, attempting to pick up the conversation.

"Oh, do you two get along well?" Nagisa asked as she offered Kaito some more rice.

"I guess so" He replied as he held up his plate for her to dish out the rice.

"How long have you two known each other?" Tomoya asked moving his pointed finger between Ushio and Kaito.

"Just over a month, right?" Ushio wondered, looking to Kaito. He nodded.

"Well, we've heard quite a bit about you." Tomoya stated.

"Yeah, you said that earlier." Kaito said, looking to Nagisa. Ushio sighed a little.

"We were only teasing sweetie." Nagisa laughed.

"Yep." Ushio replied bluntly.

"She tells us about all her friends." Tomoya laughed "Who's the trouble making blonde kid again?"

"Takeshi" Ushio replied.

"Yep, pretty nostalgic!" He smiled.

"Nostalgic?" Kaito whispered as Ushio merely smiled.

"So, how are you finding the drama club Sakumoto?" Nagisa asked.

"It's actually pretty fun." He laughed "You wouldn't think it, but there's quite a lot of work involved."

"Oh, I know. We actually went through the same thing that you all are right now." She replied.

"Really?"

"Yeah, Nagisa was struggling to revive the drama club at that school. A few friends and I helped her out... Of course that was a long time ago." Tomoya added.

"I see." Kaito replied as he poked at a grain of rice with his chopsticks. He looked up as Ushio smiled at him.

"Thank you for having me." Kaito said, bowing in respect. They had finished their dinner and Kaito now stood at the front door, ready to leave.

"You're very welcome" Nagisa replied "Are you sure you can't stay for some dessert?" She asked.

"No, thank you. I have to get going."

"You sure you don't want a lift home kid?" Tomoya asked.

"That's alright; I don't want to put you to anymore trouble. I actually don't mind walking." He smiled.

"Well, alright." The blue haired man replied.

"I'm going to walk him to the end of the street." Ushio stated as she squeezed into her shoes.

"Okay, don't stay out too long." Tomoya said.

"I won't" She smiled. The two made their way out of the door and into the garden. Nagisa stood at the door, waving them off.

"Don't be a stranger Sakumoto, you're welcome here again anytime!"

"Thank you, I'll see you later." He replied as they made walked out onto the empty street.

"So, you had fun right?" Ushio asked as they came to he end of her road.

"Yeah, you're families really nice."

"Yup!" She smiled.

"Thanks again." He said.

"Don't worry about it" She laughed, her face formed a welcoming smile. "Like my mom said Kaito, you're welcome anytime." She stated. Kaito nodded at her  
>words.<p>

"Well, I guess I'll see you later?" He asked as Ushio nodded. "Oh, before I forget. We're still on for tomorrow right, for Kumiko's party?"

"Yeah, I've got everything sorted." She replied.

"Her parents really trust us all in their house?" He laughed.

"Me at least, I'm a very trust worthy person." She smiled.

"Will they be at the party?" He asked, laughing.

"No, they'll be back the day after. Kumi's birthday is Sunday so she'll be spending the day with them."

"Cool, by the way I think Keshi said something about getting a surprise for her." He said.

"Why does that worry me?" She asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Why wouldn't it?" He laughed. The two smiled as Ushio waved goodbye to her friend.

Kaito made his way down the road from Ushio's house. He was just passing the area where Kumiko lived when he heard someone say his name. "Kaito!" The voice yelled, he turned around to see a red headed boy walking up to him.

"Hey Juni." He replied "What are you doing out here?"

"I was at Kumiko's for dinner." He stated.

"Just the two of you?"

"Yeah, her parent's are still away." He laughed.

"I see. You've met them right?" Kaito asked.

"I've met them both but only a few times. I haven't exactly sat down and had dinner with them." He smiled. Kaito ran his fingers through his dark locks.

"Fair enough" He replied.

"Where have you been?" Juni asked.

"Oh erm, yanno... I was in the neighbourhood." He laughed.

"Ushio's?" Juni replied a look as if to say 'isn't it obvious?' was planted across his face.

"You're too smart for your own good man." Kaito replied bluntly.

"It's not that hard to work out." Juni laughed "Don't worry I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to."

"Thanks, it's just, well people might get the wrong idea yanno?"

"What's the right idea?" Juni asked.

"She said I could use a break... Apparently that meant I needed to have dinner with her and her family." He laughed.

"That makes sense." Juni teased. The two began to walk down the road together.

"I feel like we've haven't talked in ages man." Kaito said.

"I know, things have been pretty crazy lately though." Juni laughed.

"Yeah, so how're are thing with Kumiko?" He asked, smiling.

"Great, really good actually."

"Have you two done anything yet?" Kaito asked.

"What do you mean?" Juni questioned.

"You know..." Kaito said, nudging his friend. Juni blushed.

"No, no, no. Of course not!"

"Relax man, I wasn't expecting for you to have popped your cherry, but at least something." Kaito laughed. Juni let out a sigh.

"Well, we haven't."

"Wait, are you telling me you haven't even held hands yet?" Kaito asked in shock.

"Of course we have. We're not children." Juni remarked. "The most we've done is, well, Kumiko gave me a kiss on the cheek the night I asked her out. That's the furthest we've gone."

"Oh..."

"We're just taking it slow. We don't want to ruin anything." Juni said.

"I get it man; don't you feel like you'd want to do that stuff though?" Kaito asked.

"Well, maybe there's a part of me that does. Kumi definitely doesn't though, not yet at least. What she wants is more important when it comes to something like this." Juni stated.

"I guess, still I'm glad you two are together."

"Really?"

"Of course, before Kumiko, you were so quiet and you seemed really miserable a lot of the time. Now, you can't stop smiling and you're way more outgoing because of her." Kaito laughed. Juni was fighting against his grin. "You're the best of us." Kaito said.

"Huh?"

"Well, if it was Keshi then he would be beating his head against a wall if he had to wait." Kaito laughed.

"I think you underestimate Keshi a lot." Juni smiled.

"Maybe. Anyway, I am really glad this happened for you man."

"I am really happy Kaito, aren't you?" Juni asked.

"What?"

"Well, about a month ago, it would just be me, you and Keshi. We didn't really have much to do did we? Now, we're part of this group, you, and me, Keshi, Kumiko, Yumi and Ushio. Its strange how we all became friends, it happened quite fast but I'm so glad we did. I don't think I've ever been this happy just to even go to school and see everyone." Juni smiled. Kaito stood still as Juni came beside him. He smiled at his friend.

"I couldn't have put it better myself." Kaito said as his friend smiled back at him.

They made their way past Takeshi's road and into the rundown area of the town. "I hate coming through here at night." Juni muttered.

"Well, it's pretty rough. To be fair though you don't hear of as much stuff happening as it used to." Kaito smiled.

"I suppose." Juni replied.

"Well, well, well." A voice said from the darkness of an alleyway. The two of them stopped, looking into the alley a figure emerged, a tall, beefy figure. It was Gaku.

"Gaku?" Kaito laughed. "Trust a bum like you to live in shit hole like this."

"Don't be rude Kaito" The large boy replied in an unusually calm manner.

"Ye, ya punk." A voice said as a smaller boy walked out next to Gaku. "We gonna mess you up."

"What the hell is that accent?" Kaito asked, a grin formed on his face.

"What?" the small boy asked.

"You sound like you're from a cartoon!" Kaito laughed. Gaku clenched a fist.

"Shut up before we kick the shit out of ya!" He yelled.

"Oh, come now Gaku. You've had your ass handed to you loads of times over the years. You just don't know when to give up do you?" Kaito asked sarcastically.

"Just shut up!" Gaku yelled as he looked towards Juni. "What's the matter geek, got nothing to say?" He asked in a rough voice. Juni looked down at his feet. Kaito stepped in front of his friend.

"Hey, you don't talk to him okay? You don't even look at him." Kaito stated, finally getting serious.

"The little prick nearly got me expelled the other week." Gaku replied.

"What? Oh you mean our little scrap? Juni did nothing and yet you still pick on him. Besides, that was weeks ago, get over it." Kaito said; arms folded.

"Maybe I can't fight you at school anymore but I can sure fight you here!" Gaku yelled as he made a move towards Kaito. Suddenly a voice yelled from down the street as a stern looking man made his way over to the four boys. He had bright red hair and a straight posture. "Shit, come on!" Gaku yelled at his friend as they ran off. Juni and Kaito were left there as the man approached.

"Junichiro!" The man yelled. Juni looked up.

"Dad?! What are you doing here?" He asked. The man gave a furious look towards Kaito but returned his gaze to his son.

"You told us you were coming straight home today! I came out to look for you since you had neglected to inform us of where you were. Yet I see you here about to fight someone!" Isao yelled "And worse, you're still in your uniform! Disgracing your school too!"

"Look, sir." Kaito said as Isao looked at him. He had to think fast. "We were just at Takeshi's house. He's had a lot of stuff going on at home so I asked Juni to  
>come with me to keep him company. If you have to blame anyone, blame me."<p>

"I knew you and that bum were no good for my son." Isao smirked.

"Dad, I've told you befo-" Juni said before he was cut off.

"You should know when to obey your elders Junichiro!" He yelled, grabbing his son's arm as he dragged him away, Kaito followed. They came around the corner to their car. Tossing Juni in the passenger's seat and slamming the door shut Isao turned to Kaito. "Stay away from him." He said pointing his finger at the boy. He walked around to the driver's side and got in. Juni looked out the window at his friend as Isao turned on the ignition and began to drive off. Kaito watched as his friend disappeared into the distance. Kaito stood there for a moment; he looked over his shoulder before walking off in the direction of the car, making his way down the road back to his home.

"Dude, that's insane!" Takeshi yelled down the other end of the phone.

"Yeah, I know." Kaito replied.

"We always knew he was harsh on Juni but that's just crazy."

"Pretty much."

"So what did you do?" Takeshi asked.

"I told him to blame me; I said we had come over to yours and that it was my idea." Kaito replied.

"Oh, wait I know Juni was at Kumiko's but what were you doing out there?" Takeshi asked.

"Oh, err I was at Ushio's..."

"Oh... OOOH! I see!" Takeshi laughed.

"Wait, Keshi it's noth-"

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me!" Takeshi bellowed.

"It's nothing like that... Thanks though." Kaito said.

"No problem." Takeshi replied "Anyway, I'm gonna get to bed. Big day tomorrow, Kumiko's party n'all! Gotta get that surprise!" He laughed.

"What the hell is this surprise?" Kaito asked.

"Ah, nothing big you'll see."

"Well, okay then. See you tomorrow." Kaito replied.

"Bye man!" Takeshi replied, hanging up the phone. Kaito placed his phone in his pocket. He was sat in his living room however, he was never sure if 'living' was the right way to describe it. He glanced around the dull, empty room. Simply a couch, a bookcase and an old television set made up the room. A several months ago, Kaito had packed a lot of things away and placed them in the attic space of the house. A few things he had moved into his grandmother's room in case it helped to jog her memory of her forgotten life. He let out a sigh; he didn't need those memories out for all to see, he thought to himself. He glanced at the clock through the archway in the kitchen. 11:36 pm it read. He let out a yawn and dragged himself over to the hallway, peering inside his grandmother's room he saw her breathing deeply in her slumber. He closed the door and made his way into his bedroom. Kicking off his shoes, taking off his school uniform and throwing it on the floor, he got into bed ready to be taken off to another world, far away from his one.

Ushio lay down in her futon, unable to sleep. She opened her eyes and looked around her dark room. It consisted of her futon, a desk and chair which held a lamp, a drawing mat, cups of pens and pencils as well as her alarm clock. Next to the clock sat her small, toy robot, once a present given to her by her father when she was very young. In the corner of the room was her closet, the doors had a floral pattern to them, next to that lay a small chest of drawers. On top of the drawers sat three stuffed Dango plushies, they were lined up on top of each other, pink, yellow and green. They were given to her by her mother; her father had made it a promise that he would try his hardest to buy one for Nagisa every year, although each year they had become increasingly difficult to find he had never failed. At this point she had over 20 spread across the house, three of them, of course sat in Ushio's room. Ushio let out a sigh as she snuggled up in her sheets. The previous events of the day kept running through her mind. Kaito and her family had warmed up to each other right away, she thought to herself. The image of Kaito and her family remained in her mind as she was finally able to drift off to sleep. Despite the eventful events of the day it was a quiet night that lay over the town of Hikarizaka. However, as the old saying goes, there is always a 'calm before the storm'.

**~*16*~**_._


	17. Damsel in Distress

**~*17*~**

He ran through the fields, running after the other figure across the landscape. He heard their voice in his head, or was it out loud? He didn't know. The boy kept running, on and on, over the highest hills and down the longest roads. Running and running, would I ever find that person? The boy thought to himself, this person that I hear in my head? Who is that person? Why are they calling out to me? He kept running and running. He passed through the wheat fields, under the sky filled with light, never stopping, always running.

* * *

><p>Kaito awoke that morning with a sweat. "Was that a dream?" He asked out loud, as if waiting for a reply. He received none. He rose up from out under his sheets. <em>I should probably just brush it off<em>, he thought to himself. Getting up off of his bed he headed for the door, checking his phone on his way out he saw the time, 7:16 am. Making his way out of his room and down the hallway, he opened his grandmother's door. She was fast asleep, the same as he had left her the previous night. He moved over to the blinds and turned the lead that hung down as the blinds spread apart. The woman began to stir as the beams of light hit her face.

"K-K-Kai" She mumbled. Kaito rushed over to his grandmother as she awoke.

"Yes gran, it's me. It's Kaito." He said as he began to smile.

"Oh, yes please." She muttered. Kaito's rising smile turned into frown. "Yes please Nakano."

"Okay, come on, Mrs Hiiragi will be here soon." He replied.

"On Wednesday yes?" His grandmother asked as she looked up at him in a daze.

"Yeah, definitely then."

"For a little while." She whispered. Kaito pulled her up as her walked her out of her bedroom and into the living room. He sat her down on the sofa; she wore a white pair of simple pyjamas as well as a pair of blue slippers. She had dark grey hair and brown eyes. Her face was covered in wrinkles, showing her age. A knock came at the door. Kaito walked through the hallway and to the front portion of the small house. He unlocked the door and pulled it open. There stood Mrs Hiiragi, she had a bob of short purple hair and bright blue eyes. Under her right ear, tied to her hair was a white ribbon.

"Good morning Kaito." She said in her gentle voice. Kaito bowed in respect.

"Good morning Mrs Hiiragi." He replied.

"Have you woken Sayuri yet?" She asked, making her way through the door.

"Yeah, she's in the living room." Kaito grabbed her arm before she made her way through.

"Listen, Hiiragi, not to be rude and it's not as if you're doing a bad job but I was wondering, do you know when Mrs Nakano will be returning?" He asked with a hopefulness that showed in his eyes.

"Oh, well she's still resting after the incident. I think she'll be back next week though." She smiled.

"It's just, as you know, my grandmother hates change. I think Nakano being away is really upsetting her."

"Don't worry about it Kaito, that's why I'm here, to make it easier for the two of you." She replied.

"Right" He nodded "I'm sorry to question you."

"Don't be" She said, keeping her pretty smile "It's your right."

"Thank you." Kaito said.

"Right, you go and get yourself ready for school and I'll start with breakfast." She said with the smile still beaming on her pretty face.

* * *

><p>Juni exited his home with a gloomy look on his face. Making his way down the road and round the corner, he saw a familiar sight sat on the edge of the curb. "Kaito?" Juni asked.<p>

"Hey man." He replied as he rose up from the floor.

"What are you doing here?"

"I didn't think I should call for you this morning, you know after last night. I sent you a text about it." Kaito stated.

"Yeah, my dad has confiscated my phone." Juni sighed.

"Wait, really?"

"Yep, I'm grounded too, he's only letting me out for school."

"But, it's Kumiko's party today. You of all people should be there." Kaito remarked.

"Don't you think I know that?" Juni asked in a sharp tone. Kaito raised an eyebrow at his friend's behaviour.

"Doesn't he know it's your girlfriend's birthday party?"

"No, my parents don't even know I have a girlfriend." Juni sighed.

"You're kidding right? Why haven't you told them?" Kaito asked.

"Why do you think? My dad's strict when it comes to these things. He doesn't like me hanging  
>around with you and Keshi; do you really think I'd tell him about Kumiko? There's no way I'd expose her to him." Juni stated, folding his arms. Kaito nodded.<p>

"Yeah, that makes sense. What about the party?"

"I dunno, of course I want to go but... My dad will kill me, it's not like I can just sneak past him through the front door." Juni moaned. A smile came across Kaito's face. "No, no I've seen that face before Kaito..."

"Yep" He replied as Juni let out a sigh. "I have an idea that's crazy enough to work." Kaito laughed as he pulled Juni along to school by his arm.

* * *

><p>"So, what do you think?" Kaito asked as he, Juni, Takeshi and Yumi stood outside the cafeteria.<p>

"I like it!" Takeshi laughed.

"You're kidding... Right?" Yumi asked in a doubtful voice.

"What is there to kid about?" Kaito asked.

"Let me get this straight." She began as the three boys rolled their eyes. "Your genius plan Kaito is for you and Takeshi to rescue Juni from the clutches of his evil father, not tell Kumiko or Ushio about it, and bring him to Kumiko's house all for some big surprise?" She asked.

"Pretty much." Kaito replied.

"Okay, well I have a few questions" She stated.

"Of course, go on" He smiled.

"How are you supposed to get Juni out of his room?"

"Ladders."

"Ladders... Do you own any ladders?"

"No, Keshi does." He replied.

"No I don't." Takeshi muttered. Kaito's expression went blank.

"What?"

"I don't own no ladders man." He replied in an unusual accent.

"Your taking the piss right?" Kaito asked.

"No, why?"

"Well the accent would suggest you are... Are you telling me that you really don't own a set of ladders?" Kaito asked dryly.

"Nope" Takeshi replied. Kaito pressed his head against the wall and let out a sigh.

"Wait, Kumiko does." Juni stated.

"She does?" Kaito asked.

"Yeah, I saw them the other week when we went in her garden shed."

"What were you doing in her shed?" Takeshi laughed.

"Now's not the time!" Yumi scolded.

"Okay, okay." Takeshi said, frowning.

"Perfect, we'll use those." Kaito smiled. Yumi let out a sigh.

"So you're going to steal Kumiko's ladders?" She asked.

"It's the best option we've got!" Kaito bellowed.

"Fine." She replied. Yumi turned her gaze to Juni. "Juni, if your dad is as bad as you say he is, if he finds out couldn't you get in serious trouble?" She asked. Juni looked down and kicked the floor, raising his head he began to blush.

"Kumiko's w..." He muttered. Takeshi moved up next to his friend.

"What pal? Didn't hear that" He laughed.

"Kumiko's worth it." Juni stated. Yumi placed her hands together and titled her head.

"Awww, Juni! Okay I approve the plan!" She smiled. Takeshi and Kaito shared a horrified look; they had never seen Yumi act this way before. Suddenly a large boy barged past Juni, sending him into the wall. Regaining his balance and looking up at the culprit, Juni realised who it was, Gaku. Kaito and Takeshi were about to say something when Yumi suddenly stood in front of them. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" She asked as Gaku turned around.

"Huh?" He asked.

"Why did you barge into my friend?"

"I didn't see the little shit." Gaku replied.

"What did you just say?!" She asked, moving up to Gaku and clenching her fist. Gaku laughed at her.

"What are you gonna do? A little whore like you can't do nothing besides cook and clean." Gaku smirked.

"Hey!" Takeshi shouted, pulling Yumi behind him. "Now, I don't know about Yumi's cleaning but her cooking is amazing! She's also definitely not a whore you shit!" Takeshi howled. Kaito brought his palm to his face; Takeshi was never one for decent retorts. Gaku began laughing again as he walked away from the four of them. "What a prick." Takeshi mumbled.

"I'd really like to teach him a lesson" Yumi added. She turned to Juni. "You okay?" she asked. Juni nodded. "You shouldn't let him push you around like that Juni, stand up for yourself." She said. Juni stayed quiet.

"Maybe she's right man" Takeshi added "Me and Kaito will get expelled of we do anything now."

"I know..." Juni replied. Kaito folded his arms.

"Come on, that's a problem for another day."

"Kaito's right" Juni said "There's more important things than Gaku right now." He nodded.

"Like getting you to your woman!" Kaito laughed.

"Right!" Juni said, puffing out his chest. Takeshi smiled at his friend.

"Hell yes Juni!" He said placing his hand out. Juni placed his on top as Kaito finished it off. They threw their hands into the air. Yumi shook her head with a sigh.

"What the hell did I just witness?" She muttered as the others broke into laughter.

* * *

><p>The six of them sat around their usual table. Except, this time they were all quiet. Juni had just told Kumiko the unfortunate news, that he would not be able to attend her party, that he was grounded due to the events of the previous night. "It's all my fault" She mumbled.<p>

"No, don't think like that Kumi." Juni replied. She looked down as she poked a grain of rice with her chopsticks. They each had their bentos out, except for Kaito and Takeshi who had enough money to buy Anpan for themselves today.

"It is, if I hadn't of asked you to come over, your dad would have never come out to find you, you would have been at home like he wanted." Kumiko sighed.

"Aw, come on Kumi-Chan, don't say that." Takeshi began "It's my fault."

"How is it your fault?" Ushio asked. Takeshi let out a laugh.

"I dunno, I was just trying to make her feel better."

"Great job" Kaito sighed.

"Look, if it's anyone's fault, it's my own" Juni said "I lied to my parents, it was my choice to come to yours."

"It's just a shame you ended up being grounded though." Kumiko said "It won't be the same without you there."

"We'll do something another time yeah?" He suggested. Kumiko gave a half heart nod in agreement as they all continued to eat their lunch. Yumi made an attempt to cheer her friend up.

"Kumiko, we'll still have fun. You have the gifts and Takeshi has a surprise right?" She said, gesturing her hand in the direction of the fair haired boy. His head shot up as he let out another, uneasy laugh.

"Yeah, yeah sure." He grinned. Juni placed his hand on Kumiko's shoulder.

"You see? You'll have fun." He said. She nodded as a frown formed on her face.

* * *

><p>The school day had come to an end. Ushio, Kumiko, Takeshi and Yumi had said their goodbyes to Kaito and Juni as they made their way home. Juni and Kaito as usual, made for home in the opposite direction. Juni and Kaito made their way down the busy street, crossing the roads that covered the journey to their homes. "Okay, tell me one more time." Juni said.<p>

"Right, Ushio is starting the party at 6. Me and Keshi will make an appearance for half an hour or so. Then, we say we have to go and get Keshi's surprise. We'll sneak out and into Kumiko's shed, take the ladders and come to yours for 7. It'll be dead on 7, so be ready. We'll put the ladders up to your window, you'll climb out and we'll all head back to Kumiko's, gifts in hand, dressed and ready to impress." He concluded with a grin.

"Okay, I'll have to tell my parents I'm doing a school project, they never disturb me when I'm doing a project." Juni stated.

"Great, we'll get you home for around 10, no problem." Kaito assured him, giving him a thumbs up. They came to the bottom of Juni's road. Juni looked to his friend.

"Good luck" He said.

"You too" Kaito replied. Juni made his way up the road to his house; Kaito stood their looking onwards with a smile on his face. He was happy with his plan, he knew it would work. After all, what could possibly go wrong?

* * *

><p>It was 6 pm on the dot; Ushio was at Kumiko's house. It had been decorated with a couple of banners and balloons for the party. Kumiko sat on her sofa; she wore her short, dark blue dress. The same she had worn on her and Juni's date. Ushio wore a light blue skirt with a white top and leggings, they were both bare footed. Ushio was pacing in the living room. "They're late." She muttered.<p>

"It's only 6 Ushio" Kumiko replied in a gentle tone.

"Of course they're late, why wouldn't they be? It's Kaito and Takeshi." Ushio mumbled. Yumi was stood in the kitchen; she wore leggings and a white tank top. She had told the other two that she wasn't fond of wearing overly girly clothes. She was also bare footed, their shoes stood at the bottom of the stairs, they were lined up quite neatly.

"Relax Ushio." She said walking in the living room; a raw carrot was in her left hand. "There's plenty of time" Yumi stated as she brought the carrot up to her mouth and began to chew on it.

"Yeah, I know Koharu. I just wanted everything to be perfect." Ushio replied. Kumiko let out a sigh

"I think that ship sailed when Juni as grounded."

* * *

><p>Outside Kumiko's house stood Kaito and Takeshi. "Okay Keshi, you know the plan?"<p>

"Yeah, don't worry. I got this." He grinned. Kaito smiled as he placed out his fist. Takeshi gave him a fist bump as they made for the front door. Suddenly a loud knock came from the door as Ushio hurried over. Opening it revealed a pair of rather smartly dressed boys. Kaito wore a crimson shirt along with a pair of dark trousers and shoes. Takeshi wore a blue shirt, complete with bright white trousers and brown shoes.

"Wow Takeshi" Ushio said as she saw him. "Those trousers are insanely white."

"That's what I said" Kaito replied as he made his way through the door.

"It's called _'brilliant white_' they're supposed to be like this." Takeshi moaned, also making his way inside. The other two came over to the boys.

"Woah Takeshi" Yumi bellowed as she made her way over, hands shielding her eyes. "Is it snowing out there or something?" She laughed.

"Not funny Yumi" He retorted "It's better than what you're wearing!" Takeshi said, pointing at Yumi's simple attire.

"My presence is more than enough." She smiled.

"Yep, that's hard to argue with" He said, giving a wink as she brushed him off.

"Well, let's get started." Ushio smiled.

"Would anyone like any tortellini?" Kumiko asked as the four others gave a confused look.

* * *

><p>Around 30 minutes had passed, Yumi was just handing her gift to Kumiko to unwrap. She had received a new jacket from Ushio and a new set of headphones from Kaito and Takeshi. She tore off the wrapping and revealed a CD case. "It's an older one." Yumi stated as Kumiko looked over the case's art work.<p>

"Hikaru Hayashi" Kumiko said as she read the artist's name.

"You're into that stuff right?" Yumi asked, making sure her gift was acceptable.

"Yumi, I love it." She smiled "Hikaru Hayashi is one of the greats."

"I thought so." Yumi smiled, folding her arms. Takeshi leaned in towards her ear.

"Good guess." He whispered as Yumi gave him a stern look. Ushio looked at her phone, checking the time.

"Well, that's it for presents." She said.

"Hang on; Takeshi still has his surprise, right?" Kaito asked, looking towards his friend.

"Oh, right." He began "Yes, I seemed to have forgotten the surprise." He said in a monotone voice, attempting to keep his cool. "I must have left it ... Back at my house, across the way." He said. Kaito repeated his previous action of the day; his palm met his face once again. "Oh Kaito my buddy, would you mind coming with me to fetch the surprise for Kumi-Chan?" Takeshi asked.

"Sure man" Kaito replied. They got up from their seat and headed over to put their shoes on.

"What you can't leave" Ushio said "We have to play twister!"

"Ushio, as much as we'd love to play twister with you lovely ladies" Kaito began as Kumiko laughed at his words "We'll only be a little bit." He said, placing on his shoes and tying the laces.

"Right" Takeshi added "See you guys later." The two of them opened the front door and headed out, closing it behind them.

* * *

><p>The sun was going down when they came outside and a slight chill had fell over the town. Kaito brought out his phone. "Right, we have about 25 minutes to get to Juni's. Let's get those ladders." He ordered. They made their way into Kumiko's back garden and towards the shed. Checking behind them they saw no one was in the kitchen, they could have seen them through the window. Kaito reached out to the smooth handle of the well kept shed. "Please don't be locked." He mumbled. Turing the handle the door swung open. "Thank god." Kaito smiled.<p>

"The ladders are there." Takeshi said, pointing to wards the back of the shed. They moved quickly, removing the object that lay in their way they reached for the ladders and brought them outside. They were rather heavy; they definitely required two people in order to carry them to Juni's. They placed the other objects back into the shed and brought the ladders round to the front of the house. "Good thing the door was open." Takeshi said.

"Yep, probably the biggest flaw of the plan, we would have been screwed if it weren't." Kaito laughed. They each grabbed an end of the ladder and began to jog with it down the road. The two of them dashed off into the night, running and running, to reach their friend Juni who was kept, locked away in his tower.

**~*17*~**

_Mrs. Hiiragi, she seems nice huh? ;) The next chapter is a funny one, a character from a previous chapter returns. Will Kaito and Keshi reach Juni in time? Will Junichiro get to be with Kumiko on her special day? And will Kumiko ever make that tortellini? There's only one way to find out ... Tune in next time to see the exciting conclusion (To this little side story). Stay tuned._


	18. The Great Escape!

_Changed my pen/username – Samuel95, I've kind of grown out of the old one and I don't consider myself to be 'simple' haha._

**~*18*~**

Juni sat at his desk, pretending to do some form of a project. Unbeknownst to his parents he would soon be leaving. He would soon be rescued by his friends to surprise a girl, the girl of his dreams, Kumiko.

"Keshi, hurry up!" Kaito yelled as they made their way through the run down part of their town.  
>"I'm hurrying!" He replied.<br>"If there's one place I don't wanna get stuck, it's here." Kaito moaned.  
>"To me, to you Barry." Takeshi retorted, in reference to an old children's program.*<br>"What the hell does that mean?"  
>"It's from some old TV show."<br>"We've gotta work on your comebacks man."  
>"Whatever." Takeshi sighed as they carried the heavy ladder between them. Moving through the dark streets they came to the exit of the rundown area of their town. The two boys swiftly moved out, keeping an eye on each other's backs. Taking the set of ladders through the rest of the town, through the shopping district, they received some unusual looks.<br>"What are they up to?" One person asked.  
>"Are they causing trouble?" Another one said. Despite this no one stopped or said anything to them.<p>

They came to the area where both Juni and Kaito lived. In the middle lay the local park, a place the boys would commonly play basketball. They came to a stop as they looked up a road. "Right, we're gonna have to move quietly." Kaito said as Takeshi nodded. They were about to set off up the road as a voice called out.  
>"What are you kids up to?" The voice asked. Turning around, Kaito and Takeshi were met with a rather rugged man. He had fiery red hair and a bright yellow tint to his eyes. His mouth held a freshly lit cigarette; he grasped a blue baseball bat in his right hand. It was Akio Furukawa, local amateur baseball legend and bread baker.<br>"What?" Kaito asked. The man took a puff of his cigarette and blew out a ring of smoke.  
>"I asked what you kids were up to." He said, pointing his bat at their set of ladders.<br>"Oh, erm nothing much. What about you?" Kaito questioned, giving Akio a mischievous smile.  
>"You know" The man began "I've dealt with misbehaving punks before, hell my daughters married to one!" He bellowed.<br>"What business is it of yours old man?" Takeshi asked. Akio walked up to the boy, placing his bat out and holding it up to Takeshi's face.  
>"What did you say you little punk?! You calling me an old man?!" He yelled. Takeshi began to quiver in his strikingly white trousers. Akio soon took notice of the boy's rather odd choice of clothing. "You know, wearing those probably isn't the best idea if you're doing a break-in. You'll be seen a mile off! Wear dark trousers, like that guy." He said, pointing to Kaito. Suddenly Akio's eyes widened. "Wait! I shouldn't be encouraging this!" He yelled, placing his hands to his cheeks and making an exaggerated face. In the process he had dropped the bat on the floor. Takeshi looked to his friend.<br>"Good luck." He said.  
>"What?" Kaito asked but it was too late. Takeshi had picked up the bat and began to run away, leading Akio off with him.<br>"Hey you little punk! Give me back my bat!" He yelled, running after Takeshi who screamed in freight as the burly man jetted after him.  
>"At least that will buy us some time." Kaito said to himself. He let out a sigh, with the sum of his strength he managed to lift up the set of ladders and balance them across his body. He began walking up the road to Juni's house.<p>

About 5 minutes later Kaito had made his way to the top of the small road. Laying down the ladders for a moment he wiped his forehead. He was sweating and out of breath. He checked his phone, it read 6:58 pm. Kaito let out a chuckle, _just in time_, he thought to himself. Picking up ladders again, he shared out the wait over his body. It was a good thing he was of a broad build, otherwise this task may have been nearly impossible. As he made his way through the front garden his mind began to wander. _Did Takeshi just lead that crazy man away so he didn't have to carry these ladders?_ He thought. _I wouldn't blame him, they weigh a freaking tonne._ He shook his head, letting his thoughts fall out; he came back to the world. Looking up, he realised he was stood under Juni's window. Making sure the coast was clear and that he couldn't be noticed through another window, he hoisted the ladders up, shifting his weight in order to hold it safely. He managed to prop it up against Juni's window. Picking up a small stone he threw it lightly up against the glass. A moment later, a red headed boy appeared at the window. It slid open as Junichiro popped his head out of it. "One minute." He said as Kaito nodded. As Kaito waited for Juni his mind began to wander, _this was a pretty crazy plan_, he thought to himself. Laughing at the absurdity of his whole scheme he noticed Juni climbing down the ladder. He supported the bottom as his friend made his way down and onto the ground. "That was easy." Juni laughed in a hushed tone.  
>"That's only half the plan done; Keshi is out there being chased by a pretty intense red head as we speak." Kaito replied.<br>"I didn't think he'd mind getting chased by a red head." Juni smiled.  
>"Not this red head." Kaito retorted. They brought the ladders down and each grabbed an end. They quietly brought the ladders around to the front of the house and out back onto the street. Juni looked back at his dimly lit home.<br>"This is the first time I've ever sneaked out." Juni commented.  
>"You're doing it for a good reason though, nothing wrong with that." Kaito said "What did you have to do in there, before we left?"<br>"I needed to grab Kumi's present." Juni replied, patting the bag on his back.  
>"Fair enough, come on let's go get Keshi." Kaito said as they began to make their way down the road.<p>

They came to the bottom of the road; Juni was struggling to keep up with Kaito as they carried the ladders. The came to stop, looking around for any sign of their friend. "Where do you think he is?" Juni asked as he readjusted the position of the ladders in his hands.  
>"Probably chopped up in little bits and being cooked up by that guy right now." Kaito remarked.<br>"That's grim." Juni sighed. Kaito nodded as they both looked over to their left. "Do you hear that?" Juni asked.  
>"Yeah, it sounds like a faint cry over in the distance." Kaito replied. He looked to his friend and smiled. "Juni, what do your elf eyes see?"<br>"Takeshi running this way." He mumbled.  
>"What?" Kaito asked, Juni placed out his hand, pointing in the direction of the incoming boy.<br>"Run, run, run, run!" Takeshi yelled as he made his way over.  
>"What's the matter?" Juni asked.<br>"No time to talk, just come on!" Takeshi howled as he sprinted past the two boys. They hoisted the ladders above their heads and began to follow their friend.

They made their way through the town, maintaining their fast pace as they passed through the shopping district and into the rundown area. Kaito came to a halt as Juni nearly tripped up from the sudden stop. Noticing his friends had stopped Takeshi turned around, he was jogging on the spot.  
>"What are you two doing?!" He asked.<br>"That's far enough Keshi." Kaito said, regaining his breath. "What the hell happened?"  
>"That guy... He's insane" Takeshi sighed. Before he could continue a rough voice spoke out from the darkness of an alley way.<br>"The hell are you doing here again?" It asked. The three boys looked over and out came a rather angry Gaku.  
>"Not this shit again." Kaito sigh "Gaku, do you just hang out back there, waiting for us to walk by?"<br>"This is my turf you little prick." Gaku replied. Takeshi began to laugh.  
>"Turf" He began "You're like 17 man, you don't own any turf."<br>"I swear you blonde haired freak, I'll wreck you." Gaku yelled.  
>"Yeah yeah, heard it all before big guy." Takeshi said, waving his hand. Gaku looked over to Juni.<br>"You keep pushing your luck geek."  
>"Leav-" Kaito began but Gaku had grabbed Juni and placed him up against a wall. Kaito and Takeshi made a move but four other boys had come out of the alley, they stood at Gaku's back blocking Takeshi and Kaito's path to Juni. They attempted to push the boys aside yet they maintained their ground. "We have to be somewhere, don't make us fight you." Kaito said but the boys laughed him off.<br>"I know it's not the right time but I'm pretty sure they were waiting for us." Takeshi remarked.  
>"We saw you walk by earlier, we thought we wait to see if you'd come back." Stated one of Gaku's goons.<br>"Now you little shit, you almost got me kicked out of school." Gaku said, holding Juni up.  
>"I swear to god Gaku, if you hurt him you're dead." Takeshi stated as he and Kaito maintained their stance against the four boys in support of the bully.<br>"What you gonna do?" Gaku asked, Juni had his head down. Gaku thought he had heard Juni mumble something. "What did ya say geek?"  
>"I said we have somewhere to be." Juni muttered as he lifted his head.<br>"So?" Gaku asked. Juni's eyes came alive as he was engulfed in a fiery rage.  
>"I've had enough!" He yelled as he lashed out. His clenched fist reach the side of Gaku's face, it knocked him back as he stumbled into the four boys. Kaito and Takeshi pushed two of them into the others as they fell like dominoes, one after the other. Takeshi and Kaito picked up the ladder as they yelled to Juni.<br>"Come on man!" They cried, Juni came to his senses as he followed his friends out of the alley and on towards Takeshi's home.

They stopped outside Takeshi's house. "Yes Juni!" Takeshi bellowed as they placed the ladders down, once again catching their breath.  
>"I never knew you had it in you man." Kaito laughed.<br>"My hand hurts so much." Juni moaned.  
>"Nah man, that's just a warrior's wound." Takeshi laughed as he patted the red haired boy on the back. Kaito nodded.<br>"Get some ice on it at Kumiko's and you'll be fine." Kaito checked his phone. "It's 7:29" He said.  
>"Plenty of time" Takeshi remarked. Juni nodded.<br>"This has been one crazy night" Kaito sighed.  
>"Definitely" Juni said as he held his hand from the pain. Kaito held out his palm, offering to take a look. Juni reached out with his fist. His knuckles had turned red; his fingers were shaking a little as well. Kaito smiled.<br>"That must have been some punch to knock Gaku back a few feet, he's a big guy."  
>"It felt like a big punch." Juni muttered.<br>"It looked like one too." Takeshi laughed. "You know what's funny?"  
>"Besides the thing you just laughed at?" Kaito retorted. Takeshi rolled his eyes.<br>"We still managed to save the ladders." He smirked. The three boys began to laugh at their friend's words. "I've missed this." Takeshi sighed.  
>"What do you mean?" Juni asked.<br>"Well, we've been hanging out with the girls for a while now, not that I don't like them, they're great but..."  
>"But?" Kaito echoed.<br>"But, we never really do things like we used to, just us three I mean." Takeshi smiled.  
>"Yeah, I suppose." Kaito replied "But these days won't last forever anyway. We'll graduate soon, Juni" He said looking to his friend "You'll be off to college right?" Juni nodded in reply. "Keshi, I don't know what you're gonna do but I'll probably stay here, look after my gran, try and find any old job."<br>"Yeah, I'll probably end up the same way." Takeshi replied.  
>"Sure, but by next summer, everything will start changing, everyone is gonna move on." Kaito sighed. The three boys stood there for a moment, looking out onto their possible futures. Juni spoke up.<br>"We should probably get going to Kumi's" He stated. Kaito and Takeshi nodded.  
>"I'll meet you guys there." Takeshi said "Need to go get the surprise." He laughed. The other boys smiled as they picked up the ladders and began walking to Kumiko's.<p>

The two of them quietly made their way around the back of the house; they opened the shed and repeated the process of moving the obtruding objects and placing the ladders at the back. They came out of the shed and closed the door. At the front of the house they saw, once again, Takeshi running over to them. He had a bag in his right hand. "That the surprise?" Kaito asked.  
>"Yep!" Takeshi replied.<br>"Okay, let's go." Kaito said.  
>"Hang on." Takeshi said, stopping the two boys. "We need to clean ourselves off." He laughed. He was right, they were sweaty and scruffy from all the running they had done. Brushing down their clothes and neatening their hair Kaito looked over to Juni.<br>"I see you're making the most of my clothes." He laughed, pointing at the green shirt and dark trousers he had lent his friend weeks prior.  
>"Sorry" Juni laughed "I haven't got many nice clothes." He smiled.<br>"Ah, keep them." Kaito said.  
>"You don't have to do that." Juni replied.<br>"I never wear them, they look better on you anyway."  
>"You're sure?"<br>"Yep" Kaito nodded.  
>"Thanks Kaito, I'll pay you back." He smiled.<br>"Just buy me a pair of socks for my birthday." Kaito laughed. Takeshi sighed.  
>"If you guys are done confessing your love for each other, can we go inside?" He asked. Kaito gave him a dig on the shoulder. "Hey man, cheap shot!"<br>"You deserved it" Kaito retorted. Takeshi rubbed his shoulder as they made for the door.

A knock came from the front door of Kumiko's home. The three girls were sat in the living room; they had been playing the Jinsei Game. "It's about time" Ushio muttered.  
>"I'll get it." Yumi said as she rose up and walked over to the door. Opening it revealed three rather scruffy boys. Ignoring their appearance she smiled when she saw Junichiro. She winked at them as she turned her head into the living room. "Oh Kumi" She began "There's a surprise here for you." Yumi said smiling. Kumiko made her way over and looked out the door. Her eyes passed over Kaito and Takeshi as they fell on Juni. A big smile appeared on her face.<br>"Juni!" She yelled as she rushed passes the two boys and hugged the red haired warrior.  
>"Are you surprised?" He asked, smiling. Ushio came out from the living room.<br>"What are you doing here? You said you were grounded!"  
>"You have those guys to thank for that." He said pointing to their friends. Kumiko turned around to face her friends. "Kaito came up with a crazy plan to get me here." Juni explained.<br>"Happy early-birthday" Kaito laughed. Kumiko smiled at him. She returned to Juni who she hugged again, Juni went red as their friends smile at the happy couple.  
>"What happened to your hand?" She asked as she saw his fist.<br>"Well w-" Juni began but what cut off by Takeshi.  
>"Can we please go inside first? I really need to sit down." He moaned, rubbing his foot.<p>

Inside the house the six of them sat around the small table in the middle of the room. "Wow" Takeshi said "Jinsei. You guys really know how to party." He laughed.  
>"That's because you guys were taking so long, you were almost an hour." Ushio stated.<br>"Yeah but wouldn't believe the night we've had." Kaito replied.  
>"Care to explain it to them?" Juni laughed as Kumiko dabbed at his injured hand with a damp towel.<br>"Well, me and Keshi stole you ladders Kumiko."  
>"What?"<br>"We're sorry about that, we brought them back." Kaito laughed.  
>"It's fine." Kumiko smiled.<br>"Then, we made our way over by the park, next to bakery." He explained, Ushio knew exactly where he meant. "Then this crazy guy with red hair came out... What happened next Keshi?"  
>"He thought we were trying to break in to someone's house so he got all up in our faces. Then I stole his bat and made a run for it so Kaito could go to Juni's." He laughed "I'm surprised you managed to carry the ladders man."<br>"I used to drive guys back in rugby all the time man. Those ladders were practically weightless" Kaito said, lying about the weight and flexing his arms.  
>"Don't be so big headed." Yumi muttered.<br>"I'm kidding." Kaito laughed.  
>"Anyway, so this guy starts to chase me and I'm thinking where do I go, so I ran around the park and he literally chased me around that thing about seven times. Then I noticed Juni and Kaito coming down the road so I panicked."<br>"What did you do?" Yumi asked.  
>"I launched the bat at him." Takeshi said with an uneasy laugh.<br>"Did it hit him?" Ushio asked in a worried tone.  
>"It hit him in the shin and he went down, crying in pain." He laughed.<br>"That was Aki." Ushio stated.  
>"Aki? Really?" Kaito asked. The others looked at him.<br>"Who the hells Aki?" Takeshi asked.  
>"Ushio's granddad." Kaito said.<br>"How did you know that?" Kumiko asked. Ushio and Kaito looked at each other.  
>"It just came up in conversation" Ushio laughed.<br>"I see" Takeshi said.  
>"I hope he's okay, though he always exaggerates things." She laughed. "He'll probably be keeping an eye out for you, so I'd watch out." She smiled. A worried look came over Takeshi's face.<br>"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." He sighed. "Anyway we ran away and came to the rough end."  
>"Yeah, then Gaku appeared, same as yesterday." Kaito moaned.<br>"I really hate that guy" Yumi stated.  
>"Did he hurt your hand?" Kumiko asked, looking towards Juni.<br>"Kinda" Kaito laughed. "It was insane right Juni?" His friend nodded.  
>"Yeah" Takeshi said "Juni was being held up against the wall by Gaku and these four guys came out and held me and Kaito off, we couldn't do much."<br>"So then, Gaku begins running his mouth and Juni goes... What did you say?" Kaito asked.  
>"I don't remember." Juni laughed.<br>"Well, anyway Juni says something to Gaku and it catches him off guard then in one second Juni smacks the guy and sends him to the floor." Kaito concluded, reenacting the punch. The three girls looked at Juni, rather shocked.  
>"Really?" Ushio asked in astonishment.<br>"Nice on Juni!" Yumi smiled "You stood up to him!"  
>"Is that how you hurt your hand?" Kumiko asked. Juni nodded.<br>"Trust me" He replied "It was worth it."  
>"I'm just glad you're okay, I don't want you getting hurt." Kumiko stated. Juni smiled at her as the other four shared a smile among themselves.<br>"I have this for you by the way." Juni said, bringing out his bag from behind the sofa. He opened it and produced a small package. "It seems a little squished" He said, handing it to Kumiko. She smiled and opened it. She brought out a silver chain link bracelet; on the top it held a small blue gem. Three of the chain links were snapped. Juni let out a sigh "Gaku must have crushed it when he held me up against the wall, it's ruined." Kumiko shook her head.  
>"Juni, I love it." She replied, smiling at him with her bright blue eyes. "It's blue zircon right?" She asked.<br>"That's right he smiled, one of the birthstones for December. I couldn't get a bigger gem." He said, going red from embarrassment. She placed her lips to his cheek as she kissed him.  
>"Please don't think like that, I love it Juni, I really do." She smiled.<br>"I'm sure you can get the links repaired." Ushio stated, Kumiko nodded.  
>"Right, my turn!" Takeshi bellowed as he brought out his own bag.<br>"I'm dying to know what this is" Yumi laughed. Takeshi winked at her and opened the bag. He brought out a bottle of some kind.  
>"Takeshi, is that alcohol?" Ushio asked.<br>"Yep, a decently priced champagne" He smiled.  
>"We're underage Keshi, we can't drink." Juni said.<br>"You don't have to." Takeshi replied.  
>"How did you get that?" Kaito asked.<br>"I swiped my brother's old I'D when he was here last." Takeshi replied.  
>"As if, how did you afford it?"<br>"You know, that's not important." Takeshi replied.  
>"You didn't steal the money did you?" Yumi asked.<br>"What? No!" He yelled.  
>"Then how?" Ushio asked. Takeshi let out a sigh.<br>"I had some savings I dug into, no big deal. I just thought that since this was the first time we were celebrating a birthday together, well, I thought we should _celebrate._" Takeshi smiled. He looked over to Juni and Kumiko. "If it weren't for you two we all may have never become real friends. You two getting together did that yanno?" He finished. The others smiled.  
>"Wow Keshi, that's pretty nice for you to do that." Kaito laughed.<br>"Well, you guys are my friends and you all mean a lot to me and I re-" Takeshi said before he was cut off.  
>"Yeah, I'm gonna go get some glasses before you start getting mushy." Kaito stated.<br>"Yeah, I'll help." Ushio laughed. The two walked over to the kitchen.  
>"Thank you Takeshi." Kumiko said smiling.<br>"Ah, don't mention it." He said as he blushed.  
>"Is Takeshi blushing?" Yumi laughed as she walked over to examine him.<br>"What no, no!" Takeshi cried. Over in the kitchen another conversation was taking place.  
>"I was wondering, why didn't you tell me about Juni coming today?" Ushio asked as they fished some glasses out of the sink.<br>"You don't work well if there's a risk of a plan screwing up." Kaito laughed.  
>"That's not true; I made the plan for Juni and Kumi." She whispered.<br>"Remember how you acted when we left them alone early?" Kaito asked. Ushio smiled.  
>"But it worked out."<br>"I guess." Kaito began. "I'll tell you next time."  
>"Next time?" She questioned.<br>"A figure of speech." He laughed.  
>"Is it?" She smiled. Kaito rolled his eyes.<br>"You know, if you think about it. It's because of you we're all friends. If you hadn't of been walking down the hallway when I got kicked out of that club we would have never met. I wouldn't of joined the drama club with you, you wouldn't of met Yumi and we would of never got Juni and Kumi-_Chan_ together." He laughed.  
>"They'll never know that though." She smiled.<br>"I suppose, but we will." He said, returning the smile.  
>"You gonna be long?" Yumi called from the living room. The two of them came through with six glasses. They placed them on the table.<br>"Everyone has to have a glass." Kaito said. They nodded.  
>"What the hell." Juni smiled "I've done some crazy things tonight, one more can't hurt." He laughed. Yumi popped the top off of the bottle and poured out the contents into the glasses. They each held up a glass. "To Kumi!" Juni bellowed.<br>"To Juni's fists!" Kaito laughed.  
>"To friendship!" Takeshi smiled as the others groaned at him. They each drank the champagne. Kumiko and Ushio went red from the volume of the drink as the others laughed at them. They all spent the rest of the night talking, eating, dancing and drinking the rest of their champagne. It was safe to say they were all having a good time; it was also safe to say that this was a night none of them would forget. A single stone can cause a rippling effect within a lake, so did the events of tonight, events which would come back to this group of friends something fierce.<p>

**~*18*~**

_How'd ya like that chapter? I loved writing it so I hope you loved reading it. The next chapter should be up within the week. We'll be seeing a lot more old faces within the next few chapters, probably starting with chapter 20. If you guys want anything else within the story then feel free to leave a review saying so. I have the majority of the story planned out ahead of time (About 40 chapters worth for this first part, I also have a lot planned for the follow up series.) but if you'd like to see anything let me know and I'll see about including it. Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter!_

_*The old tv show in reference is Chucklevision. In Japan I believe it's called Tumi Tuyu._


	19. Fortunate Meetings

**~*19*~**

December 9th 2023

We had a party for Kumi yesterday, it fell on a Friday so, being the kind hearted soul I am I decided to give Kaito and Ushio the day off from the drama club. It's not like we're behind on anything, in fact it seems we have so little to do these day, we've been working so hard after all.  
>You may be wondering why I haven't mentioned him lately, I always feel like I should write something about him. I can never truly bring myself to do so. I've missed him a lot lately. It's silly but I can't even bring myself to write his name. Sorry, it's a little sad; I'll get back on topic.<br>I think the school council is starting to get a little suspicious of me. I think they know that I've been missing meetings and letting the others skip a few. First it was Kaito when everything happened with Takeshi, then both Ushio and Kaito yesterday. Maybe I'm not cut out for this, being the leader of the club; maybe I'm not cut out for anything.

- Yumi

December 11th 2023

Happy Monday - That's what Takeshi said to me today, though I didn't quite feel it myself. They ignored me again, both of them. They still think it was all my fault, which I suppose it is.

- Yumi

December 14th 2023

Things have been relatively normal lately. We all go to class, go to lunch and see each other on odd days after school and on the weekends. Everyone went over to Kumiko's today, I decided not to. I went to visit him instead, alone. All I could do was cry, I kept reminding myself that I had to stay strong but I couldn't do it. I hate what happened to him, I hate that it was because of me. Because of something I did, something so simple and silly, he ended up the way he did. It's not fair; it should be me in there.

- Yumi

December 14th 2023

There must be something I can do, there has to be.

- Yumi

After adding her second, albeit, short passage of the day Yumi closed her diary and placed it under her pillow. She gave a yawn as she got under the covers and snuggled up in her sheets. She always had trouble sleeping, she often had bad dreams. To her friends, she must have seemed like the strongest person they knew, always punctual, always determined and focused, always there when they needed her. However, Yumi never thought of herself in that way, she always tried to hide her problems away from the world. Yumi had a secret, one that had haunted her for years and one that no one knew. She lay awake in her bed, looking out into the darkness of her room. Staying quiet she listened out for some kind of noise, any noise that would help her drift off. The silent, soulless atmosphere that had filled her house for the past few years never allowed her to sleep. Yumi kept her ears pricked up, waiting for something to comfort her, it didn't arrive. She closed her eyes and lay there, alone in the silence that she so often dreaded.

"You seem a little bit off today Yumi." Takeshi muttered as he and the five others sat in there usual room, eating their lunch. Yumi looked up as she poked her sticky rice with a chopstick.  
>"Oh, no I'm fine." She mumbled in reply.<br>"Are you sure? You're very quiet." Ushio added. Yumi shook her head.  
>"No, honestly I'm okay." She smiled.<br>"Anyway, Juni how did the big day go?" Kaito asked, looking towards his friend. Kumiko laughed at his words.  
>"I wouldn't call dinner with my parents a big day." She teased.<br>"It's a bigger day than he'd usually have." Takeshi laughed.  
>"Hey, I have a pretty exciting life I'll have you know." Juni retorted.<br>"The last exciting thing you did was knock Gaku's lights out." Takeshi grinned, he shook his head. "I'm only messing though Juni, how was it?"  
>"Knocking Gaku's lights out?" Juni asked.<br>"No, you're dinner with the in-laws." Takeshi replied, Juni began to blush slightly.  
>"They're not 'in-laws' ... But yeah, I think it went okay." He smiled.<br>"Of course it did." Kumiko added "They love you Juni, they can't stop going on about your manners and how smart you are and how good for me you are."  
>"So pretty much just blah, blah and blah?" Kaito remarked as Takeshi laughed.<br>"Joke if you will" Kumiko retorted "But Juni did a great job." She said, giving Juni a squeeze on his shoulder. Juni blushed even more.  
>"Well, congrats Junichiro my man." Kaito smiled, holding his juice box in the air as a toast. There was a knock on the club room door. They all looked over, rather confused. Takeshi took a head count. "Kaito, Me, Yumi, Ushio, Juni, Kumiko... Yep all here!" He bellowed.<br>"Yeah, we know." Kaito sighed. The door swung open. Two tall boys came walking in, each had dark hair. One of the boys wore glasses. A girl with bright, forest green hair came strolling in behind them.  
>"We didn't say come in." Takeshi sneered. He noticed that they each had a red band on their left arm. "Crap" He sighed, looking to Kaito he whispered "School council."<br>"Think they're here for us?" Kaito replied.  
>"Hell did we do this time?" Takeshi asked. They three lined up in an orderly fashion by the door.<br>"Excuse us" The girl began "We got tired of waiting."  
>"Koharu, Yumi. Please step forward." The boy with glasses said. Yumi rose from her seat, she braced herself.<br>"Has she done something wrong?" Ushio asked. The other boy looked at her.  
>"Keep out of this, it is has nothing to do with someone like you." He said, Ushio looked down.<br>"Don't speak to her like that." Kaito retorted.  
>"Kaito its fine." Ushio sighed.<br>"Yes, keep your words to yourself Sakumoto." He smirked.  
>"How do you kno-" Kaito began before he was cut off.|<br>"Please, everyone knows who you are." The boy with glasses commented. Kaito rolled his eyes and kept quiet, cursing under his breath.  
>"Koharu." The green hair girl said.<br>"Hayashi." Yumi replied.  
>"I have to say, with you being a class leader; I'm disappointed in your actions as of late." Hayashi stated.<br>"Is that so?" Yumi asked.  
>"Yes, skipping out on your own club meetings to attend personal auditions, giving your recruits time off and all around misusing the club room as a cafeteria."<br>"How did you know about that?" Yumi questioned, keeping her gaze on the girl.  
>"We have ears everywhere Koharu, you know that." She smiled, it may have looked sweet however, it was anything but. Her friends looked on, Kaito and Ushio shared a worried look, what would happen to their club leader? They thought.<br>"For these reasons we have no choice but to put forth to the rest of the council the decision to disband the drama club." Hayashi stated. Shocked expressions came from the five students sat at the table.  
>"You, you can't do that." Yumi uttered, still standing her ground.<br>"We can and we will." The boy with the glasses said. Tears came to the corners of Yumi's eyes as she tried to fight them off. "You will attend a meeting tomorrow and you may put forward your case to the council, I highly doubt they will let you continue though." He added. Takeshi rose up from his seat, slamming his fist onto the table.  
>"What the hell is wrong with you people?!" He yelled, the room went silent.<br>"What did you say?" Hayashi asked. Takeshi began fuming.  
>"You're 17 years old! You're running this place like a freaking prison or something!" He shouted.<br>"Takeshi man jus-" Kaito said, however Takeshi cut him off.  
>"No man!" He said, swiping his friend's hand away as he reached out. "This is ridiculous! Who cares if Yumi wants to go to her auditions? Or if Ushio and Kaito take a break every now and again?! You guys, you council scum are just pathetic, making a big deal over nothing!"<br>"Who's the one making a big deal over nothing?" Hayashi questioned.  
>"Excuse me?" Takeshi asked.<br>"No Takeshi, they're right." Yumi sighed.  
>"Yumi, you can't be serious." Takeshi said.<br>"Just leave it Takeshi, you're, you're just getting in the way!" Yumi yelled. Takeshi went quiet.  
>"Yumi I, I." He began but Yumi raised her hand to stop him.<br>"Don't, this way my mistake." She began; looking toward the three council members she spoke "I'll face the consequences."

Ushio, Kaito, Takeshi, Kumiko and Juni sat on a wall in the school courtyard. The final bell of the day had just rang, school had finished. "She said she had somewhere to be." Kaito said as the others wondered where Yumi was.  
>"I guess there's no drama club meeting today then?" Kumiko asked as Ushio and Kaito shook their heads.<br>"Koharu said that there wasn't any point." Ushio replied.  
>"Yeah, she just stood there telling us how sorry she was and that there was something she had to do." Kaito added.<br>"I hope she's okay." Juni mumbled. Takeshi sat to the side of his friends, arms folded. He stood up and face away.  
>"Keshi?" Kaito asked, as his friend turned around.<br>"We have to do something; we have to teach those council members a lesson Kaito." He said. Kaito shook his head.  
>"We can't. Don't get me wrong I'd love nothing more than to stick it to those pretentious pricks but if we so much as lay a hand on one of them, we'll be kicked out of here without a second thought. Never mind detention or punishments. We'll be fucked Keshi." Kaito stated.<br>"I agree." Juni said "Besides, Yumi told you to stay out of it, she wants to deal with this alone."  
>"That doesn't mean I have to do as she says." Takeshi mumbled.<br>"Yes it does" Ushio replied, Takeshi looked over to her. "You need to respect that Takeshi, I get that you want to help her, we all do but Yumi doesn't want us to."  
>"That's not good enough." Takeshi sighed.<br>"Well it will have to be!" Ushio yelled. Her four friends looked at her; they were truthfully quite shocked at her out burst. "I'm sick off all the violence and hate with everyone lately!"  
>"Ushio, its okay." Kaito smiled. Ushio shook her head, as if to awaken her previous self. She went quiet.<br>"Sorry... It's just so many bad things have been happening. I just don't want you to cause any more problems for Koharu, Takeshi." Ushio sighed.  
>"Ushio, don't you think that's a little unfair to say?" Kumiko asked.<br>"No, Kumi-Chan. She's right." Takeshi said. "We can't resort to violence and we can't just go against what Yumi wants." He smiled as he began to walk off.  
>"Where are you going?" Juni asked.<br>"Home" Takeshi replied. He left the courtyard and began walking along the road outside the grounds.

Yumi made her way up the hill and towards the car park of the town's hospital. It was surrounded by trees and greenery. She wiped a tear from her eyes as she entered the building. After speaking with the reception helper and passing through some sterile hallways she came to a door. 'Room 27 A' was carved into a sign. She pushed down on the handle and walked into the room. It had a rather cold feel to it. The white walls and white drapes provided a sterile and clean look to for room. In the middle lay a bet, next the bed stood a couple of large machines and in the bed lay a small boy. He had a dark, violet tint to his hair. Yumi walked over to the boy, his eyes were closed. They were always closed. She pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat down. Grasping the boy's small hand in her own she leant her head against the bed. Yumi's deep, blue eyes glistened as tears began falling down and covering her striking face. Water droplets formed into small puddles on the bed sheets. "I'm sorry." She whispered to the boy. "I'm sorry I couldn't hold it in." She cried. "I'm sorry Kazuki!" Falling down from the chair and onto her knees, she let go of the boy's hand and curled up on the floor. There was a knock on the door. A voice called out from the other side.  
>"Is everything okay?" It asked. Yumi didn't respond, she merely lay there on the floor, continuing to cry. "I'm coming in." The voice said. The door slowly opened as a woman walked in. She had a white nurse's outfit on. She had a bob of purple hair with a white ribbon on the right side of her head. She looked down and saw the girl curled up on the floor. The woman ran over to her. Kneeling down next to Yumi and picking her up so Yumi's head lay against the woman's lap she took out a tissue from her pocket. "Are you okay?" She asked in a gentle voice, giving the tissue to Yumi who dabbed at her eyes.<br>"I, I've let everyone down." Yumi wept through her tears.  
>"Don't say that, I'm sure that's not true." The kind woman said, hushing Yumi's cries. "If I can ask" She began as Yumi started to calm down, "How do you know this boy?"<br>"He, he's my brother." Yumi replied "My little brother."  
>"Well then, he wouldn't want to see you so upset would he?" The woman asked as she brought Yumi up of off the floor and sat her down in the chair. Yumi shook her head. "Would you like to talk about what's happened?" The woman asked. Yumi hesitated, it wasn't long before she shook her head.<br>"No, I don't like to talk about it." Yumi muttered. The woman smiled.  
>"Then I know, how about I read your fortune?" She asked. Yumi let out a slight chuckle.<br>"You read fortunes?"  
>"Not as often or as well as I used to. However, I always carry the cards with me." The woman laughed. Yumi smiled and nodded.<br>"I'd like that." She said. The woman produce a pack of card from one of her many pockets. Shuffling the deck her hand made a jolt and the cards flew up in the air and landed around her. "Does that always happen?" Yumi asked, letting out a giggle.  
>"More often than not" The woman laughed. She knelt down to examine the cards. "Now, let's see." She began. "Oh, it says that you'll come into assistance by a close friend, someone you trust very much." She smiled. "You see, not everything is so bad."<br>"That seems oddly specific though." Yumi replied.  
>"They often are however there is always more than one possible future." She smiled.<br>"Then doesn't that make them pointless?" Yumi laughed.  
>"Not at all, it means there's always hope." She smiled. "How about we get you something warm to drink?" She asked in her gentle voice "There's a vending machine down the hall". Yumi nodded at her as the woman helped her up and supported her by the shoulders.<br>"I'm Yumi Koharu by the way." Yumi smiled. The woman looked at her, returning the smile.  
>"You can call me Hiiragi." She replied.<p>

**~*19*~**

_A fair bit shorter than the last chapter I know, I feel I made up with it for content and the fact that this, with the next chapter is a pretty emotional two parter. I might upload chapter 20 today if I get around to finishing it, if not it'll be done tomorrow. Stay tuned!_


	20. Acceptance of Our Failings

**~*20*~**

The rain fell heavily that day as Yumi made her way towards the council meeting. She knocked on the door as a voice told her to come inside. Sliding the door open and reluctantly walking through she was met with a set of tables that surrounded her, behind the tables sat multiple students. Among them were the three Yumi had spoken with yesterday. She came to stop in the middle of the room, all eyes were on her. A girl with dark hair was stood in the centre across from Yumi. She began to speak. "Koharu, you have been summoned here due to your neglect of your own club. As the leader, we find this kind of behaviour to be completely out of line. You also completely abandoned any attempts to expand the club among its three current members. Sakumoto and Okazaki was it?" She looked at Yumi, waiting for a response. Yumi nodded. "Not a very stable group in all honesty." The girl stated. A few of the council members sniggered at her words. "You're the class leader to class 3-A was it?" The girl asked. Yumi nodded again. "It seems that these new friends of yours have had a bad influence on you." Yumi said nothing. "Tell me, who is the club advisor?" The girl asked.  
>"Miyagi-Sensei" Yumi replied.<br>"I see, not the best choice for an advisor either." She smiled. Again, Yumi remained quiet. "Tell us, do you have anything to say about all of this?" The girl asked in her smug tone. Yumi thought back to that morning, memories of the conversation with her friends filled her mind as she looked for some form of an answer.

Ushio and Kaito sat outside in the school courtyard. It was 8:15, they had asked Yumi to meet them there. "Do you think she'll turn up?" Ushio asked "She seemed really upset yesterday."  
>"I'm sure she will." Kaito replied. They sat there, on the circular wall which surrounded a group of trees. Their heads lifted up as they heard footsteps approaching them. They saw the violet haired girl walking over to them.<br>"Koharu!" Ushio smiled as Yumi approached the two of them. She gave a weak smile back to her.  
>"How are you?" Kaito asked.<br>"Okay" Yumi replied.  
>"It's today right? Your meeting with the student council" Kaito asked. Yumi nodded.<br>"Will Miyagi-Sensei be with you?" Ushio asked.  
>"No, he's busy today so I'm having to attend alone." Yumi replied.<br>"Why would Miyagi be attending?" Kaito asked.  
>"He's the advisor..." Ushio stated. Kaito became confused.<br>"Why didn't anyone mention that?"  
>"You never asked." Ushio smiled.<br>"Why didn't he tell me?" Kaito wondered. He looked to Yumi who was staring at the ground. "Anyway, back on topic, what are you going to say today?" Kaito asked.  
>"I'll probably beg for them to let us keep doing the club, I'll have to give up my auditions but I have a responsibility to run the club so it can't be helped." She sighed.<br>"Yeah, we were afraid you'd say that." Kaito laughed, Yumi raised her head. "You don't have to do that Yumi." Kaito stated.  
>"He's right" Ushio nodded "Koharu, these auditions are obviously important to you and for what you want to do in the future. If you have a chance to do something like this you shouldn't hold back for our sake or to keep the council happy."<br>"Right, we're here to back you up no matter what. Besides, it's not like the drama club is that big of a deal, sure we worked hard and that may go to waste but at least we stuck with it as long as we could, that's a big deal for me." Kaito laughed.  
>"It's not really that." Yumi stated "I'm not bothered about the work going to waste or disbanding a club that I was a part of or anything of the sort. It's just, well we became friends there; I don't want you two to hate me for ruining that. It feels like the only thing that holds us together is the club." Yumi sighed.<br>"You're kidding right?" Ushio asked. Yumi gave her confused look. "Koharu, we're friends because we like you. Not because of some club. Of course we're a little disappointed that it's going to be over but that doesn't take anything away from us being friends. Your happiness is way more important to us than the drama club." Ushio said "Fight on!" She yelled, giving Yumi an encouraging smile. Kaito nodded at her words.  
>"Give them hell today." He smiled. Yumi looked at the two of them, she wasn't entirely convinced. Usually once she had set her mind to something she stuck with it. Deciding to humour them she nodded and offered a weak smile.<p>

"Koharu" The girl said as Yumi came to her sense. "I ask you if you had anything to say."  
>"Is there anything I can say? Or are your minds already made up and this is some kind of ego trip?" She asked. The girl's expression turn to one of anger.<br>"You can't speak to us that way Koharu." She said as she let out a sigh. "But yes, our minds are already made up. You're not cut out to be a club leader, not in the slightest." The girl said. Yumi nodded, she knew this was true. "The drama club from now until its appropriate revival is disbanded."  
>"You are free to leave." Hayashi said as Yumi turned around to exit the room, she came to a stop as she placed her hand on the door. Without looking back she began to speak. "You're wrong about my friends." She said.<br>"We'll see about that Koharu." The council leader replied. Yumi opened the door and walked out of the room, leaving the student council and the drama club behind her.

Coming out in the hallway she saw her five friends waiting for her. "Yumi" Kaito said as they approached. "How did it go?"  
>"I don't want to talk about it" She said as she began walking off at a fast pace.<br>"Yumi wait!" Takeshi yelled as he attempted to go after her.  
>"Takeshi hold on!" Ushio yelled as she felt someone grab her arm. Takeshi continued after his friend. Ushio looked back and saw Kumiko holding on to her.<br>"Let him go Ushio." She said. Ushio looked to Kaito and Juni.  
>"Koharu can't be alone though." Ushio replied.<br>"Takeshi will take care of her." Kumiko stated.  
>"She's right" Juni said "Takeshi can handle it."<br>"Are you sure they'll be okay?" She asked. Kaito stood next to her and place his hand on her shoulder.  
>"I've underestimated Keshi a lot lately." He said, looking to Juni who nodded at him. "He's made me eat my words every time." Kaito stated. Ushio looked in the direction of the missing Yumi and Takeshi.<br>"I hope you're right." She muttered.

The rain fell heavy that day as Yumi came out into the courtyard. Takeshi ran out of the school building yelling to her. "Yumi!" He shouted over the rain. Yumi came to a stop as she stood there, frozen. Takeshi came up to her, standing only a metre away. "Yumi, you have to tell me what's happening." He said. Yumi looked up to the sky as the rain fell on her face; she still kept her back to Takeshi.  
>"Why is that Takeshi?" She asked in a shrill voice.<br>"B-Because we're friends" He replied.  
>"What does that mean?" She asked.<br>"What? What's happened Yumi? Is this because of the stupid council?"  
>"No, not really. I suppose they were the last straw though." She replied.<br>"Yumi please. You're so much better than they are. You know that."  
>"Takeshi, please leave." She sighed.<br>"You're so confusing you know?! One minute you're acting like you care about me, about us all, the next you're turning you back on us!" He yelled. There was a moment of silence. The only sound that could be heard was the rain splashing against the concrete floor of the courtyard and the heavy breathing of a green eyed boy.  
>"Takeshi, I can't." She replied.<br>"Can't what Yumi?" He asked. Yumi wiped her face as she turned to look at him.  
>"If you really want to know where I'm going, I'm going to the hospital." She said.<br>"W-Why?"  
>"My... My brother is there, Kazuki. He's been there since..." She said but stopped herself. "Takeshi, if you really care about me, if you have any feelings for me you'll stop. You'll stop this and leave me alone." She stated. "Don't follow." She said as she walked away from Takeshi. He stood there, silenced by Yumi's words. The rain fell on him, soaking him. He turned around and slumped back inside the school.<p>

"I have to go." Takeshi said as he and Kaito left their last class of the day.  
>"Are you sure?" Kaito asked "We could all go?"<br>"I dunno why, but for some reason I feel like it should be me." Takeshi shrugged his shoulders. "Does make any sense? Is that selfish at all?" He asked. Kaito shook his head.  
>"Not really buddy, that's not selfish, to be honest though you rarely do make sense." He laughed. Takeshi smiled.<br>"I know I'm an idiot a lot of the time but I really do care about her, she's looked after me before. I need to do this." He stated. Kaito nodded.  
>"I know man." He said, placing out his hand. Takeshi shook it. "Good luck" Kaito said as Takeshi nodded.<p>

He jogged onwards toward the large hill, at the stop stood the hospital. _What a stupid place to put a hospital, I can barely feel my feet. _He thought to himself. It seemed that lately since he had been spending more time with the other he had been doing a lot more running that he usually would have been. At least he was keeping fit right? Takeshi reached the top of the hill and came to the hospital car park. He made his way through and into the entrance. He had never been there before, perhaps when he was born sure but he didn't remember ever setting foot in there. Looking around he saw the help desk. "Can I help you?" The woman asked as Takeshi approached her.  
>"Erm, yeah. I'm trying to find a friend." He said.<br>"Oh, have you been invited?" She asked.  
>"Well, not exact-"<br>"Fujimoto?" A voice asked as Takeshi turned around. He saw a pretty woman standing behind him, she a bob of purple hair, blue eyes and a ribbon to the right side of her hair.  
>"Oh, Mrs. Hiiragi" He smiled "Shouldn't you be with Kaito's grandmother?"<br>"Mrs. Nakano is back with them, my substitution work is over. Didn't he tell you?" She asked, smiling.  
>"No, he didn't mention it." Takeshi replied.<br>"Well, is there anything I can help you with?" She asked. Takeshi nodded.  
>"I'm looking for a friend, she's really upset and I think she needs me right now." He replied. "She's visiting her brother, Kazuki Koharu." Takeshi said. Mrs. Hiiragi nodded.<br>"I know who he is; I've been taking care of him for a while." She smiled.  
>"Could you help me?" Takeshi asked. She sighed.<br>"I'm not really supposed to do this... His room is 27 A, the person you're looking for is Yumi, correct?" Takeshi nodded "She's in there with him." She smiled.  
>"T-Thank you so much!" He beamed as he bowed in respect and made his way through to one of the corridors.<br>"Are you sure that was wise Ryou?" The receptionist asked. The purple haired woman smiled and nodded.  
>"Yes, that girl is very lonely; she needs a friend right now."<p>

Takeshi passes through the sterile hallways and came to the room he was looking for. 27 A was on the door. He heard quiet sobs coming from the other side of the door, it was Yumi. Taking a deep breath he knocked. "Yes?" Yumi called out. Takeshi slowly opened the door. He saw Yumi knelt on the floor against the bed. "Takeshi?" She whimpered as he made his way in. His eyes landed on the small boy that lay in the the bed. His eyes were closed and he was hooked up to several machines. He looked back to Yumi.  
>"Y-Yumi, I know you said not to come. I-I couldn't just stay away and leave you. Not like this." He said. Yumi began to cry again, tears trickled down her cheeks. Takeshi knelt down next to her.<br>"T-Takeshi I can't." She cried.  
>"It's okay Yumi." He said, looking into her watery eyes.<br>"I-I want to tell you something. Something I've never told anyone before."  
>"What is it?" He asked in a hushed tone. She began to fall further down to the floor but Takeshi grabbed her by the shoulders, keeping her up. She looked back into his eyes.<br>"A few years ago, m-my parents wanted me to take my little brother, Kazuki to the park." She began; Takeshi looked up to the boy in the bed and back to Yumi. "He was only six. I held his hand all the way there. He wouldn't keep quiet about it; he always got excited about spending time with me." She smiled, Takeshi smiled back. "We reached a crossing near the park, we were only a road or two away. A voice called out to me. I-It was a boy I knew from school, I really liked him so I was so happy that he was speaking to me. I turned away from Kazuki, I looked away for two minutes, not even that." Her voice began to croak up. "Then, I heard a loud screech. I-I hadn't even noticed my brother way gone, that he wasn't holding my hand anymore." Tears began to fall from her face again. Takeshi wiped her cheek with the back of his finger. She grasped his hand, keeping it held to her cheek. "I looked over and he was there, lying on the floor. T-The car had hit him, the one that made the loud screech. I-It had sent him to the other side of the road, he hit his head... There w-was b-blood everywhere." She collapsed into Takeshi body; he managed to hold her up as she wept in his arms. She raised her head to look at him. "The doctors said that he had lost too much blood. He had gone into a coma." Takeshi looked over to the boy again, noticing the various tubes attached to the petite figure. He looked back to Yumi. "Takeshi, they don't know when or if he'll ever wake up. My parents hate me because of it, I let them down, I let my friends down. I-I let everyone I've ever cared about down and now everyone hates me!" She cried. "There's nothing I can do to save my little brother, to save Kazuki." She placed her head against his chest. Takeshi breathed deeply, his heart was pounding, and taking in all the information he lifted her chin up with his hand.  
>"Y-Yumi" He began as tears began to form at corners of his eyes. "No one hates you." He smiled "You have no idea how many love you do you?" He asked. She stared back into his eyes. "I didn't know your brother but I can't imagine that he wouldn't love a sister like you. I know he wouldn't blame you for this, I know he still loves you even if he can't say it himself. I don't know your parents either but god knows I've had my fair share of problems with my family but deep down, there's always something there no matter how much you think it's lost, it never really is. Besides, you have all your friends, no one hates you, we all love you Yumi, everyone one of us. We're all here for you and we'll always be here for you." He smiled as a single tear fell down his cheek. Yumi wiped it off with her own finger.<br>"Thank you Takeshi." She said with a weak smile "You understand now though, I can't, I can't feel that way for anyone, not after what happened." She said.  
>"I know, no one is asking you to." He smiled. "It's going to be okay though, no matter what happens, if everyone else leaves I'm going to be here for you, I promise you."<br>"Thank you" Yumi whispered as she leant her head against his chest again, she closed her eyes. He embraced her, holding her head to his chest he cradled her body back and forth.  
>"It's going to be okay Yumi; it's going to be okay."<p>

Takeshi strolled over to the garden of the Koharu household. A man stood outside the house, he was painting the front gate. "Excuse me" Takeshi said, the man looked up at him. He had a lost look to his eyes, as if something had been taken away from him. "Are you Mr. Koharu?" Takeshi asked. The man nodded slightly. "Yumi's father?" The man hesitated for a second as if he was trying to remember the answer, he then nodded. "I'm a friend of your daughters. I know things are bad right now." He sighed; the man stood up and fixed his gaze on the boy. He was a rather shrill man with dark hair and blue eyes. "I know things are bad but I wanted to say that no matter what you are going through your family is always there for you." Takeshi stated. "I may be way out of line and it's not my place to say but, please, for Kazuki, forgive your daughter." Takeshi closed his eyes, ready to take the attack of the man that would surely come. Instead the man stayed still.  
>"H-How do you know?" The man asked. Takeshi opened his eyes.<br>"Yumi told me, you have no idea how upset she is, well I suppose you do, of course you feel the same way." Takeshi smiled.  
>"It's been very hard." The man sighed.<br>"I know, I know how it feels to have something missing from your life, a void that you can't fill no matter what. However much you ignore it though it will always be there. You can either ignore it or face it for better or for worse, whether that means moving on or accepting it. We always have that choice." Takeshi stated, thinking back to his previous problem with his father.  
>"I understand." The man replied in a shaky voice. Takeshi nodded as he turned to walk away. The man went inside the house, over into the kitchen where his daughter stood, preparing a meal.<br>"Yumi." He said. Yumi's head rose, her face was white as if an old ghost was calling out to her. She turned around. Her father stood there, a smile was on his face, the first one Yumi had seen in years.  
>"Dad?" She asked. The man walked over to her and opened his arms out wide. Yumi move over to him. He had tears rolling down his face.<br>"I'm so sorry." He said. A smile came over Yumi's face as she ran over to her father, embracing him. They stood there, hugging each other for a while. Yumi didn't know why but her father had come to the realisation that he could move past his sorrow, perhaps her mother could do the same also, she didn't know. Her father held her in his arms as Yumi began to speak to him.  
>"It's going to be okay" She said "It's going to be okay."<p>

**~*20*~**

_Poor Yumi :/ ... I finished this one in a few hours. I probably should have uploaded the two parts as one chapter but I like that this is the 20th chapter. The 10th chapter was when they all officially became friends. The 20th chapter is when the drama club disbanded, it sort of works as a little bit of irony in a way. Anyway, you probably figured out that Hiiragi was Ryou by now, I decided to give her a happy ending. She got married and became a nurse as she always wanted to. The same goes for the others in a sense but you'll have to wait and see. Stay tuned._


	21. One Last Look

**~*21*~**

Yumi, her father and her mother all stood beside the bed of her brother, Kazuki. For some reason Yumi's father had opened up to her after so long, something had allowed him to start to let go of his pain and over come it with his family. Her father had sat down with her mother and they had spoken with each other for a long time. The three of them had come to the realisation that they were all broken; they were all empty and damaged. They now knew that they could confine in each other and share their pain. This was all because of some mystery force, in Yumi's eyes, that had helped her father, a force that she would never be able to thank as she would never know who or what it was. Yumi stood next to her brother's side as she placed her hand on top of his. She knelt down next to the bed but having so often cried at his side there was only one thing she could now do, she smiled. She smiled and began to whisper in his ear. "I hope" She began "I hope that one day you wake up Kazuki, one day you'll wake up and you can meet him, the person who saved me."

Standing among the busy shoppers in the shopping district Kaito thought back to his conversation he had with Ushio the previous night. _"Would you like to meet up tomorrow?" Ushio asked.  
>"What for?" Kaito replied.<br>"To spend some time together, it's nice to see friends one on one every now and again." She smiled.  
>"Sure, what time?" He asked.<br>"3:00, shopping district?"  
>"Sure, sounds good." Kaito said. <em>Returning from his thoughts he looked at his phone. It read 2:59 pm, watching it the time turned to 3:00 pm.  
>"Kaito!" A voice yelled. He turned around and was met with Ushio; she wore her white knitted hat, a thin, blue zipped hoodie over a t-shirt, a black skirt, striped stockings and converse. Kaito blushed a little as she came over; he had to admit she looked quite cute. Kaito wore a black jacket over a red t-shirt, dark jeans with a torn hole over the left knee and a pair of red sneakers.<br>"How did you do that?" He asked as Ushio walked over.  
>"What?"<br>"Its 3:00 on the dot, that's crazy." He laughed.  
>"I dunno I'm punctual." She smiled. After greeting each other the two began to walk through the street, looking in the windows of various shops. It was a Saturday, it was usually busy in this area of town and this day was no exception. They came to a store that specialised in plush dolls. They peered inside as Ushio looked on in awe.<br>"You into this stuff?" Kaito asked. Ushio looked at him and went red with embarrassment.  
>"Y-Yes, aren't you?" She wondered, already knowing the answer.<br>"No." He said bluntly. She let out a soft laugh. "Do you want to go in?" He asked her. She smiled.  
>"We don't have to." As she finished her sentence Kaito was already halfway through the door, he turned to her.<br>"Come on." He smiled as she followed him inside.

Inside, the little shop had an old world charm to it. Beams ran from one end to the other on the ceiling and it was furnished with solid oak counters and chairs. It had a warm, welcoming feeling to it, which was nice as outside a chill had began to pass over the town. Tables and shelves were stuffed to the brim with plush dolls of all shapes and sizes. One corner held animals, another held characters from various manga, films and television shows. Another corner had a random assortment of the soft little dolls. Ushio walked over to the animals as Kaito lingered in the middle of the little shop. They were the only people in there; Kaito couldn't even find the shop keeper."Where do you think the owner is?" He asked as Ushio looked over the stuffed little lions.  
>"Probably in the back." She replied. Folding his arms, Kaito leant against a one of the tables that held a large pile of plushies. He gave a yawn as the table shook ever so slightly. Noticing this he turned around. The table shook again.<br>"Ushio." He whispered. She looked over. "This table is moving, I think the plushies are alive..." He said.  
>"That would be amazing!" Ushio laughed as Kaito shook his head.<br>"I'm serious look." Pointing to the table it started shaking again. Kaito peered in closer to the pile of dolls as suddenly a small figure burst out of it. Kaito jumped back, screaming in the process. The figure landed behind Kaito and began to laugh. He turned around to be met with a small elderly man. He wore a traditional style kimono, it was grey with a white trim that ran along the edges, and the belt was also white. He was completely bald and had a white goatee. "What the hell?!" Kaito yelled as the old man smiled at him. Ushio stood there completely dumbfounded. The old man began to laugh again as Kaito looked on in confusion. Clearing his throat, the old man began to speak.  
>"I saw you two looking through the window. I thought it had been a while since I played a prank on a youngster so I thought I'd hide in my pile of plushies." He smiled.<br>"An old man playing with plushies?" Kaito asked as he imagined the elder sat down talking to his dolls. Kaito burst out laughing.  
>"Don't be stupid!" The old man replied, folding his arms. "Everyone needs a living." He winked.<br>"Kaito don't be rude." Ushio said. Kaito nodded. The old man smiled.  
>"If you're looking for a present for your girlfriend there, you've come to the right place." He chirped. Kaito looked over to Ushio who blushed at the man's words.<br>"She's not my girlfriend." Kaito mumbled.  
>"Oh? Then give her one of my cute, adorable, lovable plushies and she will be!" The man said, jumping onto the old counter. Kaito and Ushio looked on at the man. "Oh? Customers? Well, are you wanting one my dear?" He asked, looking to Ushio.<br>"I was just looking around." She smiled. The man hopped off of the table and crossed the room to the large pile of animal plushies. Placing his hand into the very middle of the pile Kaito began to speak.  
>"What are you doing?" He asked.<br>"A lucky lotto!" The old man yelled. Kaito shrugged. "Lucky dip kid." He said bluntly, still fishing around the pile. He produced a small plush doll, a little bear cub. He handed it to Ushio. Taking it from him she felt over the doll's fur.  
>"It's so soft." She smiled. The old man nodded.<br>"Take it." He said.  
>"Oh, no I couldn't" Ushio replied.<br>"Yeah, I thought this was a living?" Kaito asked.  
>"More of a hobby." The old man replied. "Take it my dear." He smiled. Ushio smiled back and bowed in gratitude.<br>"Thank you." She smiled. Kaito walked over to the man, placing his hand in his pocket he produce a few notes of money.  
>"Here, at least let me give you something for it." Kaito smiled.<br>"A little cheap isn't it kid?" The man asked. Kaito turned red.  
>"Hey! You just said we could have it for free!" Kaito yelled. Ushio laughed.<br>"Fine, if I must take your hard earned money." The old man smiled, showing his teeth. He was missing quite a few of them.  
>"Yeah..." Kaito sighed.<p>

"Thank you very much!" Ushio said as they made their way out of shop. The old man waved at them as they left. Looking back through the window Kaito could've sworn that he had seen the old man hop back into a pile of his dolls.  
>"Pretty sure that guy was senile or something." Kaito muttered as they walked through the streets again.<br>"He was nice." Ushio smiled. Suddenly a cold breeze fell over the two. Ushio shivered slightly. "We should've guessed that December weather wouldn't have been so warm." She laughed.  
>"Oh, are you cold?" He asked. Ushio lets her arms drop down; she had just had them wrapped around herself in attempt to keep warm.<br>"No, no. I'm fine." She smiled. Kaito slid his jacket off.  
>"Here." He said, sighing at her attempt to underplay the cold air. He placed the jacket over her shoulders as Ushio grabbed the sleeves, bringing them around her.<br>"What about you?" She asked, showing her concern.  
>"Ah, I'm used to it." Kaito laughed.<br>"Really?"  
>"Yeah, we don't exactly have space heating or anything in my house." He smiled. Ushio looked down, not knowning what to say to Kaito. She hadn't realised he was so unfortunate, his grandmother was sick, she didn't know where his parents were, he sometimes struggled with money and now he didn't have heating in his home. Kaito, noticing Ushio's attempt to come up with some kind of reply, spoke up. "We have a log burner, an old one. It hasn't been used in a while though." He laughed, attempting to lighten the mood.<br>"I see." She smiled, hugging her new plushy as Kaito's jacket was wrapped around her. Kaito walked along at her side, hands in his pockets.  
>"What's up?" He asked as Ushio held the bear cub close to her chest.<br>"Why do you ask?"  
>"You seem quiet all of a sudden, is there something on your mind?" He questioned, Ushio snuggled up to the bear. She walked over to a near by bench and took a seat, patting her hand down for Kaito to join her. He sat down, smiling at her.<br>"I was thinking about Koharu." She sighed as she placed the bear down on her lap.  
>"She's okay though, Keshi sorted it." He smiled.<br>"I know... Do you know about her parents?" Ushio asked.  
>"Yeah, how they ignored her and all that?" Kaito replied. Ushio nodded her head.<br>"That means that all those times she said that her mum had come to pick her up or she was going somewhere with her parents... I guess that means she was going to the hospital." Ushio sighed.  
>"I suppose. She never did say much else though, she's always been very private, for as long as I've known her." Kaito said "If you think about it, this was quite a big step for her."<br>"Yeah." Ushio nodded, rubbing her nose with her index finger.  
>"Are you getting a cold?" Kaito asked. Ushio smiled.<br>"Probably" She laughed.  
>"Well I don't have anymore jackets." He grinned.<br>"Then I'll just have to keep a hold of this one." They shared a laugh together. "I think we should do something for Koharu." Ushio said in a gentle tone.  
>"Like what?"<br>"I think we should perform her play." Ushio smiled.  
>"We can't, we're not allowed to perform at the festival anymore." Kaito replied.<br>"I mean, we just perform it to our friends and family."  
>"Really?" Kaito asked.<br>"Yep, we can see if we can borrow some music from Kumi, she has a lot of it." Ushio laughed. "You can still do some technical work."  
>"Yeah, I guess."<br>"We're going to be having a surprise birthday party for my mom on Christmas Eve." She said.  
>"Christmas Eve?"<br>"Yup, her birthday is the 24th of December." Ushio smiled.  
>"As if." Kaito said.<br>"Yeah, I was thinking we could perform it there, invite Koharu's parents. My dad already said I could have some friends over for it. I'm sure my mom would love it. She didn't say much when I told her the drama club had been disbanded; I could tell she was a little sad though, I think she was really looking forward to seeing me perform. So, we can do something for both Koharu and my mom." She smiled. Kaito looked on at her beaming face, he, again felt a warm sensation cover his body, despite the cold air he was comfortable.  
>"You're pretty amazing you know that?" He said. Ushio blushed as she looked down to her lap where the bear sat.<br>"I wouldn't say that..." She replied.  
>"I mean, like, well you're always going out of your way to help people, you know?" He smiled. Ushio looked back up to him, their eyes met as she smiled back.<br>"That's a really nice thing to say."  
>"I'm just being honest." Kaito laughed "I'm not really one for compliments that much, I just call it how I see it." He said, smiling. Ushio nodded.<br>"That's very true." She laughed. They went quiet, letting the cold breeze blow over them, Ushio closed her eyes. "Can I ask you something?"  
>"Don't you always?" He laughed, Ushio smiled. "Go ahead."<br>"That girl in your class, the one with the dark hair and pale skin."  
>"Hiroshima?" He asked.<br>"Yeah, the pretty one. Are you two seeing each other at all?" Ushio asked as a weak smile came across her hopeful face.  
>"That's kinda out of the blue." Kaito laughed.<br>"Kumi heard her speaking about you the other day." Ushio muttered.  
>"Really? What did she say?" Kaito asked. Ushio sighed.<br>"A few girls were saying things about you apparently, over embellishing some rumours. Kumi said Hiroshima defended you." Ushio said, in her mind she began to wish she hadn't of asked, she didn't enjoy making this girl out to be someone who was fond of Kaito, though she didn't really understand why. Kaito frowned as he gazed over the scurrying shoppers.  
>"What were the rumours?" He asked.<br>"I-I shouldn't of said anything Kaito, I'm sorry." Ushio replied.  
>"Tell me." He said in an annoyed voice.<br>"Kumi didn't hear much but she heard them saying that it was because of you that the drama club was disbanded, that you had skipped out on the meetings and gotten Koharu into trouble." She sighed; her voice began to break slightly. "I'm sorry Kaito, please don't be angry." She begged. Kaito looked towards her, a smile came across his face, Ushio was rather surprised.  
>"I'm used to it, they seemed to have died down lately but I guess people still think of me as a bum."<br>"N-No they don't... We don't Kaito." She said.  
>"I know, that's the only thing I'm bothered about. I wouldn't want any of you guys to feel that way about me."<br>"Never." Ushio stated, seeming a little cross. "Don't think that way okay?"  
>"Okay" He smiled, patting her head softly. He got up off the bench. "There's nothing between me and Hiroshima." He said as Ushio began to smile. "We're friends, she's nice." He concluded, and that was the end of it, they spoke of it no longer, no rumours, no other people, they just walked off down the road, glancing in a few more shops as they went by.<p>

That Monday Yumi approached Ushio and Kaito at the end of school, they were stood out in the courtyard with the rest of their friends. "Are you coming to the club room?" She asked. The two of them shared a glance.  
>"There's no drama club anymore." Kaito replied. Yumi sighed.<br>"We won't be allowed to use the room again. Not even for lunch. I thought we could spend one last hour in there, have one last meeting." She smiled. She turned to Juni, Takeshi and Kumiko. "You three can come if you want." She said "Honorary members for the day." Yumi laughed. Takeshi smiled at her, he was glad to see her so cheery again.  
>"Yanno Yumi" He began "As much as I'd like to I think it should be just you three."<br>"I agree" Juni said. Kumiko nodded.  
>"It was your club; go have one last look together." She smiled.<br>"Thank you" Yumi replied. The three of them waved goodbye they made for the exit. Yumi, Kaito and Ushio began to turn back towards the school as Hiroshima passed them.  
>"Hey." Kaito said as she came into view. Yumi and Ushio stopped, Ushio looked down as Yumi placed a hand on her friend's shoulder and smiled.<br>"Oh hi Sakumoto" Mayumi replied, brushing her dark hair behind an ear.  
>"How've you been?" He asked.<br>"I'm good; I heard about the drama club, I'm sorry it didn't work out." She smiled.  
>"Don't worry about it" He said, he looked towards his two friends, looking back to Hiroshima he spoke again "I got a lot more out of it than a drama credit." He smiled. She nodded.<br>"I'm glad." She smiled. "I think I know the answer but are you free tomorrow? There's a few showing around 6:30 at the theatre."  
>"Is it Tuesday tomorrow?" He asked.<br>"Of course" She laughed. Kaito thought for a moment, no of course he was free, he would have nothing to do on a Tuesday after school now.  
>"I'm free." He smiled. Hiroshima nodded.<br>"Great, I'll meet you there for 6:30!" She said as she rushed off home. Kaito stood there laughing to himself at Hiroshima's behaviour. Yumi coughed. He spun around.  
>"Are you coming?" She asked. Kaito laughed and nodded, Ushio kept her saddened expression as they made their way inside and towards the old drama room.<p>

Yumi slid the wooden door open as they were met with the sight of the empty room. All the boxes of props had been removed; the few posters Ushio had made were no longer there. All that was there was the small table with six chairs stood around it. Yumi walked up to the table as she turned around she perched on the edge of it. Kaito and Ushio came to a stop as she did this, Yumi's eyes became teary. "Koharu..." Ushio sighed as Yumi placed her hand out to stop her. She wiped her eyes.  
>"This was my third year here" She began "I joined in our first year, after... Well you all know about Kazuki now, after what happened with him it seemed like my entire life had come to a stop. Time moved on but I couldn't, I was frozen. My family were the same; they acted as if I didn't exist. Drama became this thing that allowed me to escape all of that. This was the only place I could be myself. However, even here I didn't feel like I belonged, I spent my breaks in the library alone. I went to school everyday and came home after the drama meetings to a home that wasn't the place it was supposed to be." She sighed. "Then after everyone had left and I was here by myself, alone again, something happened. A knock on the door that changed everything. It was you, both of you. You stood outside and entered, a girl I had never met and I boy I was always bickering with." She smiled, Ushio and Kaito smiled back. "We became friends, I made even more friends. Juni, Kumiko... Takeshi." Tears began to roll down her face. "For the first time I really do feel like I belong to something, I have people who truly care about me." She smiled; Ushio also began to tear up. "To be honest, I stopped caring about the drama club a while ago; I just did it for you, to stay close to you both... But now, now we don't need that do we? We don't need something to hold us together do we? "<br>"No, there's nothing that can tear us apart Yumi, despite every thing we have and are yet to face we'll always be there." Kaito smiled.  
>"You'll always have your friends Koharu." Ushio added.<br>"Thank you both, for everything you've done. If it weren't for you and the others, I don't know where I would be right now." She smiled. "The drama club is finished, I'll still go to my auditions, I'll still work hard to be an actress and make you all proud." She said, wiping her eyes. Kaito looked to Ushio; she too wiped her eyes as she looked back to him. He gave her a nod.  
>"Koharu, what if you could still do the play?" Ushio asked. Yumi looked up.<br>"That would make me very happy." She said.  
>"My mom's birthday is coming up; a lot of people will be there. We were thinking, we could perform our play. You could invite your parents to watch." Ushio smiled.<br>"They've never seen me perform... I would really like them to." She nodded.  
>"I'm glad." Ushio replied. Kaito's gaze went over Yumi and out through the window. In the distance he could see something, something that instantly filled him with hope. He didn't know what it was but he felt that he had seen it before. A small light floated up to the sky and disappeared out of sight, joining the sunlight above the town of Hikarizaka.<p>

**~*21*~**


	22. Referral for A Room

**~*22*~**

"Piss off Gaku!" Kaito yelled as Gaku had a poor kid held up against the wall. He was rather small, with a light tint to his hair; he wore a pair of glasses that hid his face. They had all just come out gym class about five minutes ago, Gaku had found a target.  
>"Fuck off bum, I ain't bothering ya." Gaku bellowed.<br>"Juni stood up to you and you're picking on a different kid?" Takeshi asked. Gaku grasped the kid by his shirt, still pinning him to the wall. Keeping a hold of him with one hand he turned to the two boys, behind them stood Juni.  
>"You're all gonna be dead you know, when we get out of here I'm gonna wreck you all." Gaku sniggered.<br>"Yeah, yeah" Takeshi laughed.  
>"What's the matter, too afraid to do anything?" Gaku asked looking to Juni. Juni shook his head.<br>"No, it's not that." Juni replied.  
>"Yeah, I mean, if we take you out here then we'll all be kicked out." Kaito stated "However, if you don't let go of this kid and leave him alone then me and Keshi here will say fuck this school and kick the shit out of you anyway. You know you can't take us both big guy." Kaito laughed. Gaku eased his grip on the boy.<br>"You all better watch out." He said, pointing his finger to the three heroes. "No matter what, I will pay you back." Gaku muttered as he slumped away from the empty hallway, leaving the four boys alone. As Gaku had let go of the boy he had slid down to the floor. Kaito walked over to him.  
>"Did he hurt you at all?" Kaito asked. The boy shook his head.<br>"Not today." The boy mumbled.  
>"Well, if he does anything again, let us know. I'd say go to a teacher but unless they witness something it never totally gets stopped, right Juni?" He said, turning to his friend.<br>"Right" He replied, walking over to the boy and placing a hand out. The boy grabbed it as Juni hoisted him up.  
>"T-Thank you." The boy smiled.<br>"Why was he picking on you?" Takeshi asked.  
>"I dunno, I was just minding my own business, just as everyday, taking a few pictures for the school paper."<br>"That explains it." Takeshi laughed. The boy frowned. "I didn't mean anything by it." Takeshi smiled.  
>"Yeah, it's just if there's anyone with any kind of ambition or the slight bit of happiness, they're a target for Gaku." Kaito laughed.<br>"I see." The boy sighed.  
>"It's my fault really." Juni explained "He's stopped picking on me lately so I guess he's moved on to you." Juni sighed.<br>"Don't worry; I'm sure he'll leave me alone after this." The boy smiled.  
>"We'll try and keep an eye out." Takeshi said giving the boy a thumbs up.<br>"Thank you, all of you." The boy smiled. "If you guys ever need anything, just ask me. I owe you one. Although, I don't think I could do much besides take a few pictures but at least it's something." He laughed.  
>"Yeah, if we ever need a photo, we'll give you a call." Kaito smiled.<br>"What's your name?" Juni asked.  
>"Kenji" He smiled.<br>"I'm Junichiro, this is Kaito and Takeshi." He said, gesturing to his friends. They nodded at the boy.  
>"It's nice to meet you."<br>"Keep your head up." Juni smiled as the three boys walked off to lunch, leaving Kenji to his photography.

Yumi, Kaito, Juni, Ushio, Takeshi and Kumiko had all managed to find space at the end of one of the long tables in the cafeteria. "This sucks that we can't use the club room anymore." Takeshi muttered as he perched on the end of table with half of his body hanging off. "I've got no room; this cafeteria is way too crowded." He complained.  
>"We'll just have to deal with it." Kaito remarked.<br>"Still, I wish there was somewhere else." Ushio sighed. Just then Yumi had an idea.  
>"We could always got to the library" She stated.<br>"I thought you weren't allowed to eat in there?" Kumiko asked.  
>"Not officially but the librarian used to be very kind to me, she used to let me eat at one of the corner tables as long as I kept it tidy. I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Yumi smiled.<br>"It's definitely worth a shot." Juni mumbled through a mouthful of rice.  
>"Junichiro! Don't talk with your mouth full!" Takeshi scolded as the others laughed at him.<p>

They all came to the entrance of the school library. "Don't you think this is a little pointless?" Ushio asked. "Lunch is nearly over."  
>"No harm in asking for tomorrow" Juni smiled as Yumi nodded at his words. Inside Yumi had been speaking with the librarian as the others waited outside. She came out of the library shaking her head.<br>"No good?" Takeshi asked.  
>"No, she said she's bend the rules just for one or two but she said six was far too many." Yumi sighed.<br>"Well, that's fair enough." Takeshi began "We don't want to get her in any trouble." He said, Yumi nodded and smiled.  
>"Well, that was our last hope right?" Kaito asked. They all went quiet, trying to think of an alternative.<br>"I know!" Kumiko beamed as the others looked her way. "We could always use the old reference room." She smiled.  
>"What's the reference room?" Kaito asked.<br>"Yeah, I've never heard of that." Takeshi added.  
>"You don't know what the reference room is?" Yumi asked.<br>"No" They both replied.  
>"The reference room has a lot of old documents, like videos, books, past exam papers. No one uses it anymore so it's really just a storage room. Even if we're not allowed it's not as if it matters, no one will know." Kumiko explained.<br>"I guess that could work." Ushio smiled. Kumiko gestured for them to follow, they did. At the back Takeshi and Juni walked along.  
>"Yanno" Takeshi began "I'm really digging in new Kumiko, she's a badass." He winked as Juni looked horrified.<br>"You're not taking her away from me." He retorted.  
>"Relax man! I'm only messing!" Takeshi teased as he wrapped his arm around Juni's neck, pulling his friend towards him in a friendly manner.<p>

"This is it?" Kaito asked as they entered a messy old room.  
>"Pretty much" Kumiko smiled.<br>"Dude, we used to skip class in here didn't we?" Takeshi asked.  
>"All the time" Kaito laughed.<br>"Yeah, and Miyagi-Sensei would ask me about it." Yumi muttered to Ushio as she laughed.  
>"I never knew it was a reference room." Kaito smiled. They moved inside, looking around, under all the old documents they found an old table and a few chairs. Ushio, Kumiko and Juni tied away a few of the things that covered the floor as Yumi, Takeshi and Kaito lay out the table and chairs. A few minutes later it looked, well almost as good as new.<br>"Not bad at all." Takeshi laughed.  
>"We did a pretty good job." Juni agreed. Yumi went and sat down, opening her bento to eat the rest of her lunch.<br>"There's only about five minutes left of lunch." Ushio laughed.  
>"Then I better hurry." Yumi smiled as the others joined her at the table. Takeshi stood there, noticing that the table was only accompanied by five chairs.<br>"Seriously?" He sighed.  
>"Share mine!" Kaito laughed as he patted half of his chair.<br>"I think I'll pass." Takeshi said as he hopped up onto one of the old filing cabinets. "This will be my seat." He laughed.  
>"Looks comfy" Ushio smiled. Suddenly the reference's room door swung open as a familiar face walked in.<br>"Miyagi-Sensei!" Yumi squealed as her teacher walked in.  
>"Yumi, err, Koharu?!" He bellowed, correcting himself. "Fujimoto, Sakumoto?"<br>"Hey sir" Takeshi smiled.  
>"How's it going?" Kaito laughed. Mr. Miyagi found his footing.<br>"What are you all doing in here?" He asked "You're aware this place is off limits."  
>"Yeah, but no one uses it anymore." Takeshi replied.<br>"While that's true, I still use it." He said.  
>"For what?" Kaito asked, Mr. Miyagi went red.<br>"Koharu, you should know better, you're the class leader after all." He said, attempting to change the subject.  
>"Hey now" Kaito laughed "Don't change the subject."<br>"You know, I let you kids get away with way too much." Takeshi scolded, pointing to the two boys.  
>"We know" Kaito smiled "You're one awesome teacher." He laughed. Mr. Miyagi sighed as he spoke.<br>"I come in here at the end of lunch for a smoke" He said, producing a lighter and cigarette from his pocket.  
>"So you're breaking the rules too?" Kaito smiled, Mr. Miyagi rolled his eyes as he nodded.<br>"Why not just smoke where the other teachers do?" Ushio asked.  
>"To tell you the truth, I'm not very fond of the other teachers." Mr. Miyagi replied. "Anyway, that's not important. What are you all doing here?"<br>"We needed a new place to eat lunch; since the drama club disbanded we can't use the club room anymore." Yumi sighed.  
>"I see" The man said, sighing.<br>"Are you gonna tell anyone we're in here?" Takeshi asked. Mr. Miyagi shook his head.  
>"No, as long as you don't tell anyone about my smoking breaks in here." Mr. Miyagi replied.<br>"It's a deal." Takeshi smiled. Mr. Miyagi began to walk out of the room.  
>"Just don't get caught okay? I didn't see you, you didn't see me." He said as he exited the room. They all shouted their thanks to him as Kaito stood up.<br>"I'll be right back." He said as he left the room in pursuit of Mr. Miyagi.  
>"What was that about?" Ushio asked.<br>"No idea." Yumi replied.  
>"Miyagi-Sensei is a pretty great teacher isn't he?" Kumiko smiled.<br>"You bet." Juni replied.  
>"Yep, the greatest of them all" Takeshi laughed.<p>

"Miyagi, sir!" Kaito yelled as he made his way down the hall, the man turned around.  
>"Kaito, what's wrong?" He asked.<br>"I was wondering" He said, catching his breath "You never told me you were the club advisor." Kaito replied. Miyagi laughed.  
>"That's true." He smiled "Didn't your friends tell you?"<br>"Eventually, after I asked."  
>"I see." Mr. Miyagi sighed "You know Kaito; you've come a pretty long way." My. Miyagi smiled.<br>"You think so?"  
>"Yep, you're a much better student and person than you used to be, you're a lot more responsible." He laughed.<br>"I'm glad that amuses you sir." Kaito grinned. The teacher placed a hand on his student's shoulder.  
>"Kaito, the reason I never told you that I was the advisor was because I didn't want to make you feel like were obligated to stay in the club. After I told you your attendance had gone back up and you were free to leave the drama club I noticed how conflicted you looked. I could tell that despite your protest of joining a club in the first place, well, let's just say I knew there was something keeping you there." He smiled.<br>"That's pretty sneaky." Kaito remarked, his sensei laughed.  
>"I never doubted you for a moment, turns out I was right about you all along."<br>"Right about what though?" Kaito asked.  
>"You're a good kid Kaito; you don't give yourself enough credit. You stayed loyal to your friends when they needed you. Being a person like that is more important than being a model student, having the grades and the reputation. Sure that has its perks and advantages but being a good person should always be someone's priority." Mr. Miyagi concluded.<br>"I've never thought of it like that." Kaito replied. Mr. Miyagi gave one last smile.  
>"Go back to your friends, the bell will be ringing in a few minutes so don't be late to class." He laughed as he walked down the hallway. Kaito stood there looking onwards and thinking about what Mr. Miyagi had just said to him. A door opened as Ushio popped her head out.<br>"Kaito" Ushio said as he turned around. "Are you coming back inside?" She smiled. Kaito nodded as he made his way over, ready to rejoin his friends in the reference room.

Mayumi stood outside of the theatre. She was wearing a black long sleeved top which was ties at the collar with lace. She also wore a black skirt with white stockings and dark boots. Her hair was tied up and a hoodie lay over her shoulders. Kaito walked over, he wore his red t-shirt, dark jeans with the hole over the left knee, red sneakers and a black hoodie. His jacket had been kidnapped by Ushio, they had forgotten about it completely. "Hey" He said as he made his way over.  
>"Sakumoto!" She smiled as she went up to him, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him over to one of the posters. "See, Ugetsu Monogatari is playing today at 6:45." She smiled.<br>"Isn't that like 70 years old?" Kaito asked.  
>"Just over 70 yes, March 26, 1953" She smiled. Kaito sighed.<br>"I see, so you're into old films like that Hiroshima?" He asked, smiling back.  
>"Definitely" She nodded.<br>"Okay, let's go see it." He said, walking into the theatre as she followed. They purchased their tickets and made their way into a small screening room. There were only about 20 people in there, at most. Of course, this was a very old film so its audience was fairly niche. They sat there, waiting for the film to start. It was rather quiet, to be expected Kaito thought. After all he hadn't spoken to Mayumi a whole lot in the time they had shared a class. Mayumi decided to break the ice.  
>"I didn't think we'd get to do this." She laughed.<br>"Why not?" Kaito asked.  
>"Well, you're always so busy with your friends, I thought for a while you might have been trying to avoid me." She smiled.<br>"No, of course not" Kaito replied.  
>"I'm glad, I like spending time with you" She said.<br>"Yeah, me too" Kaito smiled as she blushed. The theatre went dark as the film began to play. Kaito didn't usually appreciate cinema, especially classic cinema. Still, he sat there, watching the film play out. He didn't quite understand what was going on, something about two couples whose crops get ruined by an army or something. Despite this, he wasn't having too badly of a time. Even so his mind began to wander. It kept landing on his previous outing with Ushio; he had a lot fun with her, as he always did. He remembered lending her his jacket... His jacket, he thought, I should probably get that back, he laughed to himself. Noticing this, Mayumi whispered to him.  
>"Don't you like it?" She asked. Kaito looked towards her.<br>"Oh no, I was just thinking of something" He said as someone from another row of seats made a sound, gesturing him to be quiet. Mayumi turned her gaze to the screen, as did Kaito. His mind still wandered, it kept returning back to that day, that day with Ushio.

After 90 minutes or so Kaito and Mayumi exited the theatre, she was sobbing. "Was it really that sad?" Kaito asked.  
>"Didn't you think so?" She wondered, rubbing her eyes.<br>"Not exactly" He laughed, truthfully he didn't remember much of the film, his mind had wandered too much and he had dozed off multiple times. "Sorry I'm not a very good date" He laughed.  
>"Date?" Mayumi questioned, neither of had acknowledge this little outing as a date so far.<br>"Well, yeah" Kaito laughed "Ah, ignore me. I'm just generalising." He smiled. She returned his smile as they began to walk away from the theatre. They made their way over to a food vendor, he was serving taiyaki. "Do you want some?" Kaito asked as Mayumi blushed again.  
>"Oh, erm I can pay myself" She smiled. Kaito shook his head.<br>"Don't worry about it." He laughed. She nodded. Giving the vendor the rest of his money, Kaito received two of the fish shaped snacks. He handed one to Mayumi.  
>"Thank you" She smiled.<br>"Its fine" He laughed as he took a bite of the taiyaki. The two spent the rest of their 'date' rather awkwardly making conversation as Mayumi would blush. "So what are your hobbies?" Kaito would ask.  
>"Oh, you know, this and that, music and things" She would smile as her cheeks went red. What about you?"<br>"To tell you the truth I don't have many" He would laugh uneasily. Kaito had never really been good with girls; he would often feel awkward or grow tired of the many pointless conversations he would partake in. Takeshi was often the one with the womanly charm however, in a strange twist of fate it was Juni who had come out on top. Juni was the only one with a girlfriend, not that Kaito wasn't happy for him. Yet he sometimes wished he could meet someone the way Juni had met Kumiko. Mayumi and Kaito continued their conversation, chatting about the conventional things you would do so on a first outing. The time went by slowly as their 'date' came to an end. Mayumi stood there, looking up at Kaito with a smile on her face.  
>"I had a really good time with you today" She smiled.<br>"Yeah, me too" He replied. She nodded at his words, moving back and forth from her tip toes to the soles of her feet she blushed again.  
>"Well, I'll see you tomorrow" She smiled as she turned to set off home. Kaito stood there and sighed, he had enjoyed spending time with Mayumi, sure. However, he didn't know how she felt about him. In his mind she had been giving him mixed signals all day. Letting out another sigh he decided to brush it off. The cold air blew behind him as he shivered, perhaps he should get his jacket back from Ushio? He thought. Smiling, he turned around to set off home, walking along the road, hands in his pockets he began to hum a familiar tune. One he had heard a while ago, one Ushio's mother had sung. He didn't know why but he felt happy humming the tune underneath the starry night sky, walking all alone down the long, long road.<p>

**~*22*~**


	23. London Calling

**~*23*~**

"Last day of the semester!" Takeshi bellowed as he and his friends sat in the reference room, eating their lunch. "Woohoo!" He yelled.  
>"Keep it down man, we're not supposed to be in here, remember?" Kaito muttered.<br>"Yeah, yeah" Takeshi sighed as he sat on top of his filing cabinet.  
>"It's not the last day of the semester" Kumiko laughed "We still have Monday."<br>"Don't ruin it; I was happy for a second." Takeshi sulked.  
>"At least Christmas is coming up soon." Yumi smiled.<br>"Yeah but Monday is Christmas Day, it sucks that we have to come in." Takeshi mumbled.  
>"Well there's my mom's birthday Sunday" Ushio added "That should be fun."<br>"Are you guys really going to perform?" Takeshi asked.  
>"Yep" Ushio replied in a cheery manner.<br>"Sweet" Takeshi grinned.  
>"Are you sure your parents aren't going to mind you coming over Juni?" Ushio asked.<br>"No, it'll be fine. I'm not grounded anymore; it actually finished today so I'll be good to come." He smiled.  
>"That's good, though it sucks that you haven't been able to hang out with us as much lately." Kaito stated.<br>"I know" Juni replied.  
>"Hey, wait!" Takeshi said, looking a little worried "I just thought of something. Ushio, your grandpa is going to be there right?" He asked.<br>"Yup, my whole family will be!" She laughed.  
>"He's gonna recognise me! He's gonna kill me!" Takeshi cried.<br>"Don't worry man; we'll get you a mask, maybe a Santa beard and hat or something." Kaito laughed. Takeshi went red.  
>"What about you, he saw you as well!" Takeshi yelled.<br>"Yeah but I didn't throw a bat at him now did I?"  
>"It was in self defence!" Takeshi sulked.<br>"I'm sure he'll see it that way." Ushio smiled.  
>"Really?!" Takeshi asked as his head popped up with a hopeful smile on his face.<br>"Probably not" Ushio laughed. Takeshi sunk back down. The door opened as Mr. Miyagi made his way inside. Greeting his favourite set of students he opened a window and lit a cigarette. The six of them remained quiet as they watch the man blow a few puffs of smoke out of the window. Several minutes later he had burnt out his cigarette and flicked it out of the window. Turning to the students he smiled.  
>"You didn't see anything" He said as they each nodded at his words. Turning away from them he headed back out of the door, popping his head back inside he spoke. "The bells gonna ring in 2 minutes, get to class." He smiled as he closed the door behind him.<br>"Well, that wasn't strange at all." Juni laughed.  
>"An everyday occurrence" Kaito remarked as they all began to pack away their things and headed for the door.<p>

As they made their way out of the reference room and down a hallway, a well built, muscular boy walked passed them. He bumped into Kaito. "Watch it Sato." Kaito hissed as the boy turned around. He was very handsome with dark hair and green eyes. He looked older than Kaito and his friends. They all came to a stop as they saw a possible confrontation in the making.  
>"Didn't see you there Sakumoto" He laughed, despite his forced friendly tone Kaito scoffed at his words.<br>"Yeah sure" Kaito replied.  
>"Just watch where you're going." Yumi interjected.<br>"Uhuh" Sato replied, he looked over to Ushio." Hey Okazaki" He said, giving her a smile. Ushio smiled back.  
>"How do you two know each other?" Kaito asked, still annoyed at the muscular boy.<br>"We're in the same English class." Ushio replied. Sato smiled.  
>"Yeah she helps me out a lot." He smirked. Her five friends all looked toward Ushio. Luckily the bell saved her from their gaze. "Anyways, see you around." Sato said as he left them in the hallway.<br>"That guy's such a prick" Kaito remarked.  
>"Let's just go to class." Yumi replied as they began to set off down the hallway. Walking down in pairs, Kaito hung at the back with Ushio.<br>"Do you like that guy?" Kaito asked.  
>"Sato is always nice to me" Ushio replied.<br>"I'm sure" Kaito muttered. Ushio stared at him, wondering what exactly was wrong with the boy.  
>"Why don't you like him?" She asked. Kaito hesitated, he hadn't often recited the tale he was about to tell but something made him want to tell Ushio, he felt that she deserved to know. He took a deep sigh. He grabbed her arm as they let their friends go on without them to their classes.<br>"Ushio, do you remember the first time I walked you home?" Kaito asked.  
>"I think so" She smiled.<br>"When I was going to Keshi's after one of our first drama meetings?"  
>"I remember" She nodded.<br>"Right, you asked me about my hobbies and I told you that I used to play Rugby" Kaito stated.  
>"Yes" She smiled.<br>"Well, I used to play for team here, in my first year at least. Sato was the captain back then, still is. He was never nice to me; he'd always try to discourage me and attempt to injure me during training or something. Not to be big headed but I was good, I mean really good. The coach kept saying that if I stuck to it there was no doubt that I could get a scholarship." Kaito sighed. Ushio began to frown. "Sato was always scared that I would take his position away from him, that I would become the captain. I never wanted it, I just loved playing. The guy's a jealous, selfish prick who only cares about one person, himself." Kaito concluded, folding his arms. "I loved it so much, that it was my punishment" He said.  
>"What do you mean?" Ushio questioned.<br>"Remember I told you that I took the blame for Keshi when he hit the principle with water balloons?" Kaito asked.  
>"Of course" She replied. Kaito shook his head.<br>"Because of that, I was kicked off of the Rugby team; Sato had finally got his wish." Kaito sighed.  
>"D-Does Takeshi know that?" Ushio asked, Kaito shook his head again.<br>"I never knew how he would react so I just told him it was because of something stupid I had done myself."  
>"I see" Ushio frowned. "But don't you thin-"<br>"Look, let's just go to class." Kaito said, stopping her words. Ushio let out a sigh and nodded as they made their way down the hallway to rejoin their friends.

The day was coming to an end as Juni and Kumiko were sat in their maths lesson. They had been studying linear equations as the school bell rang, concluding the day. "Alright everyone, good work today. We don't have a lesson on Monday so have a nice break" Their teacher smiled. Juni and Kumiko began to pack away their belongings.  
>"You did great today" Juni smiled.<br>"I've definitely got Cramer's done. I think I'll be okay for the quiz when we get back." She replied. Their teacher spoke out to them.  
>"Akimoto, Nakahara can you two stay behind please?" He asked, they both nodded as the others students left the classroom. The two of them approached their teacher's desk towards the front of the room.<br>"A university has contacted me" He began. "They're looking for two bright young minds to join them on a Mathematics scholarship." Kumiko and Juni looked to each other, sharing a gaze; they turned back to their teacher. "As you can guess, I'm deciding to submit both of you." He smiled.  
>"Where is it?" Kumiko asked.<br>"London." He replied. Kumiko gasped slightly as Juni began to stutter.  
>"L-London?! England London?!" Juni asked. Their teacher nodded. "W-W..."<br>"I can see you two are happy, am I right?" He laughed.  
>"Y-Yes of course sir!" Kumiko smiled. The man nodded.<br>"Alright, well I need a definite answer by the beginning of next semester, that's when they want my submissions. So, let me know." He smiled as he turned away to leave the room.  
>"T-Thank you!" Kumiko beamed as the man nodded on his way out. She turned to Juni. "C-Can you believe that?" She asked, grabbing his arm and tugging at his sleeve. He looked at her.<br>"That's insane..." He laughed as Kumiko hugged him.

The four others were sat outside in the courtyard, sat on the circular stone wall that surrounded a set of trees. Kaito was perched on the end, Ushio and Yumi sat next to him as Takeshi had spread out, laying down on it. "Where are they?" He asked.  
>"Give them a minute or two" Yumi replied, swatting the top of his feet as they came close to her.<br>"Aw, come on" He moaned "There's barely any room on here"  
>"That's because you're lying down" Kaito remarked as Ushio laughed.<br>"Yeah well, my ba-" He began but he noticed Kumiko and Juni walking over to them, he rose up and shuffled up to next Yumi. "What took you so long?" Takeshi asked. Juni and Kumiko looked to each other as Juni gestured for Kumiko to speak. She looked back to their friends.  
>"We kind of have something to tell you" She smiled. Takeshi's eyes widened.<br>"Oh no" He sighed.  
>"What?" Ushio asked. Takeshi placed his hands over his eyes as he shook his head. Standing up, he walked a few paces away from his friends, his back turned to face them.<br>"I knew it Juni" He said.  
>"K-Knew what?" Juni asked. Takeshi shook his head and turned back around, pointing in a dramatic fashion to Juni.<br>"You knocked her up didn't you?!" He yelled. Juni went red as Kumiko gasped, as did the others.  
>"What?!" Kumiko yelled.<br>"Kumi-Chan, it's okay, we're all here to su-"Takeshi began.  
>"No! He didn't!" She shouted.<br>"Yeah Keshi, we haven't even do-" Juni began as Kumiko gave him a small punch on the shoulder. Looking to her his gaze darted back to Takeshi.  
>"Done what?" Takeshi asked, raising his eye brows up and down.<br>"Shut up Keshi" Kaito yelled, giving an annoyed look towards his friend "Just let them speak" He sighed.  
>"Fine... Carry on." Takeshi smiled as Yumi and Ushio rolled their eyes at each other. Clearing his throat Juni carried on from Kumiko's words.<br>"As we said, we have something to tell you" He began.  
>"You're getting married!" Takeshi beamed, placing his hands on his cheeks.<br>"Takeshi!" They all shouted as he cowered in fear.  
>"I'm sorry okay? Okay?!" He cried, sinking down to the floor and resting his back against a wall. Juni let out a sigh.<br>"No more interruptions?" He asked; Takeshi nodded.  
>"Okay, so we have something to tell you" He began "We've been speaking with our maths teacher and he's given us some news."<br>"Some wonderful news" Kumiko added, Juni nodded in acknowledgement.  
>"Yeah, a top university is looking for two students to attend on a Mathematics scholarship" Juni smiled. "He asked us."<br>"Really?!" Kaito grinned. The two of them nodded. "That's awesome!"  
>"Yeah, that's incredible" Yumi laughed.<br>"I've always said it; you guys are the smartest people I know!" Takeshi howled. Ushio remained quiet, after her friends had calmed down she began to speak.  
>"Which university is it?" She asked. The others went quiet, realising they had yet to be informed. Juni and Kumiko looked at each other. Kumiko smiled and let out a little sigh, turning to their friends she smiled again.<br>"London" She said. "In England" The others looked at their friends, no one said anything, not one of them.

Takeshi walked onwards to his home; he had just said his goodbyes to Kumiko and Ushio. Walking up the road and towards his front garden he noticed a vehicle outside. It was a bright red motorcycle; it had a black trim that ran down the sides. Takeshi sighed, knowing what awaited him inside his house he made for the door. Slowly pushing it open he walked in as he was met with an unfamiliar sight. His mother was stood there, speaking with a boy. He looked slightly older than Takeshi with dark hair, blue eyes and black, rough stubble covered his chin. "The prodigal son returns" Takeshi smirked as the boy turned around.  
>"Keshi!" The boy laughed as he approached Takeshi.<br>"Hey Takato" Takeshi said as his brother put out his arms, waiting for an embrace. Takeshi placed out his hand, aiming for a hand shake yet his brother brushed it off and hugged him. Pushing away from his brother Takeshi began to speak. "How's college going?" He asked.  
>"Oh, yanno can't complain at all" His brother smiled, that smile always annoyed Takeshi.<br>"Uhuh" Takeshi replied.  
>"How's senior year going?" Takato asked. Takeshi merely nodded as he walked past his brother and spoke to his mom.<br>"What's for dinner?" He asked.  
>"The usual" Chiaki smiled. Takeshi nodded as he made for the stairs.<br>"Where are you going?" Takato asked.  
>"To do my homework" Takeshi sighed. Takato looked to his mother who merely shrugged; this was strange. Takeshi never did his homework.<p>

Lying down on his bed, feet up and still dressed in his uniform Takeshi heard a knock on his door. "Keshi?" The voice asked.  
>"Yeah?" He replied. The door slowly came open as Takato walked in. "What's up?" Takeshi asked.<br>"What's up? What's up with you?"  
>"Nothing" Takeshi stated. His brother let out a sigh as he took a seat at the end of Takeshi's bed.<br>"I wanna talk to you man" He smiled.  
>"About what?"<br>"Stuff" His brother shrugged.  
>"Okay go on" Takeshi scoffed.<br>"I wanna talk about dad" Takato smiled. Takeshi grew annoyed with his brother.  
>"I'm not talking about that waste of space" Takeshi laughed.<br>"I haven't spoken to you since you said you were going to make him leave. I want to know what you said"  
>"I told him he wasn't gonna get anywhere near mom again, that he could fuck off" Takeshi stated. His brother shook his head.<br>"Well, do you know where's he gone?" Takato asked.  
>"The hell if I know" Takeshi began "The guy had a duffle bag with him, probably some bum or drifter, on the streets for all I care."<br>"Fine" His brother said as he got up and made for the door.  
>"Where are you going?" Takeshi asked.<br>"For a ride" He replied as he shut the door behind him and left Takeshi alone. Takeshi looked up at his ceiling, arms behind his head.  
>"Good riddance" He muttered as he closed his eyes, waiting to doze off for a sleep.<p>

It had gone 10:30 pm as Kaito had placed his grandmother into her bed for the second time; she had already woken up once. This time he had given her a glass of warm milk, it usually did the trick. He came out of her bedroom, carefully closing the door behind him he tip toed into the kitchen. Taking out his phone he scrolled down to a contact and pressed the call button. It rang for moment; Kaito was nearly about to hang up as the other end picked up. "Kaito?" A voice said.  
>"Hey Ushio" He replied.<br>"Hi, what's up? Is something wrong?" She asked.  
>"No, no nothing like that" He said smiling even though she couldn't see him. "I was just checking up, you seemed a little off today when Kumi... Well when everything was said"<br>"I see, I think I'm okay" She replied.  
>"Good, well... Erm, how's your parents doing?" He asked, not even knowing why. Ushio let out a small laugh.<br>"Erm, yeah they're fine" She went quiet "Actually Kaito, would you mind doing me a favour?" She asked.  
>"Sure" He replied.<br>"Could you meet me? If it's not too much trouble".  
>"What, now?"<br>"Yeah, I want to talk with you, in person" She said in her gentle tone.  
>"You live almost at the other end of town" He laughed.<br>"No, I'm at my grandparents tonight; they live 5 minutes away from you." Ushio replied.  
>"What are you doing there?" He asked.<br>"We're spending the weekend with them, Christmas dinner as well" She said.  
>"Fair enough, erm sure I can meet you. Are you sure you're parents wont mind?" He asked.<br>"No, not at all" She laughed, as if the answer was obvious. "How's 10:45 sound, at the local park?"  
>"Yeah, cool" He said as she said goodbye and hung up the phone. Kaito's mind was racing, what had Ushio wanted to talk about in person? There was only one way to find out.<p>

Ushio stood outside of the Furukawa Bakery, waiting for Kaito to arrive. She had thrown on a hoodie and wore a pair of pink pyjama leggings with a pair of blue, fluffy slippers. She held a dark jacket in her arms. Looking off into the distance she saw Kaito jogging over to her. He still wore half of his school uniform, the torso along with a pair of grey jogging bottoms; he still wore his school shoes. "Hey" He said as he jogged over, coming to a stop in front of her.  
>"Hi" She smiled, holding out the jacket.<br>"Thanks" He laughed "I thought I'd never get it back" He grinned.  
>"I washed it for you" She stated. Kaito looked confused.<br>"Why would you wash it?" He laughed.  
>"W-Well, I may have worn it more than once" She blushed.<br>"Really?"  
>"It's really comfy" She smiled. Kaito nodded, smelling the jacket. "What are you doing?"<br>"Oh, well. Let's just say it's been a while since I washed it" He replied, giving an uneasy laugh.  
>"Well, that's good to know" Ushio sighed as Kaito smiled. "Come on" She said, making way over to the park. Kaito followed behind.<p>

They sat down on a bench which sat underneath a small wooden shelter. "My parents used to come here a lot" Ushio smiled.  
>"Didn't they do a lot of construction a while back? People used to play baseball on here." Kaito remarked.<br>"Yes, my family and I used to play. Aki used to play with all the local kids around here." She smiled.  
>"Really?" Kaito asked.<br>"Yup" She replied. They sat there, looking up at the starry sky.  
>"So, what did you want to talk about?" Kaito questioned as Ushio slipped off her slippers, bringing her knees up to her body and resting her feet on the edge of the bench.<br>"I kind of lied earlier" She sighed. Kaito nodded at her words.  
>"I know" He uttered, Ushio looked over to him.<br>"I don't know why, I am happy for them but it's..." She started.  
>"It's just so far away" Kaito finished. Ushio nodded.<br>"I know I wouldn't get to see them all the time even if they went to college in Japan but its England. Kumiko has wanted this for a while." She smiled.  
>"She has?"<br>"Yep, ever since we started High School she's gone on about England, about London." Ushio sighed. "I'm awful aren't I?" She asked, letting he head drop between her raised knees. Kaito laughed as he patted her head, she looked up.  
>"You're not awful. To tell you the truth I'm going to miss them too. Especially Juni, it's always been us three. Me, Keshi and Juni. We took care of him, tried to keep the bullies off his back. In turn he helped us out with school, to be fair we were kind of a lost cause but we stuck in there for him." Kaito stated as Ushio smiled at him.<br>"I've known her since kindergarten Kaito."  
>"I know" He replied. Sighing, he began to speak again "Which is why we can't be selfish. We're going to miss them but this is a huge opportunity for them. We can't hold them back because of our feelings. It's not fair to them." He said as Ushio nodded. "And you know Kumi would change her mind because of you."<br>"I know..." Ushio sighed.  
>"We just have to keep our heads up and be happy for them, especially since they're doing this together. We no longer have to look out for them." He smiled.<br>"Thanks Kaito, that makes me feel better" She said, sharing his smile.  
>"Good."<br>"Hey, have you ever been in the bakery?" She asked. Kaito laughed.  
>"Yeah, me and Juni went in once. This lady offered us some special bread of some kind."<br>"Oh..." Ushio sighed.  
>"Yep, I assume that's your grandmother?" He asked.<br>"Sanae" Ushio smiled.  
>"She was nice but her bread..."<br>"You can say it" Ushio nodded.  
>"Her bread was pretty overwhelming." Kaito laughed.<br>"Well, that's a nice way to put it." Ushio said as she joined him in his laughter.  
>"Are you ready for the play?" He asked. Ushio went quiet as she looked down. "Ushio?"<br>"I'm just a little nervous" She sighed.  
>"Would this be because of your mom?"<br>"How di-"  
>"We had this conversation when we first met; remember?" Kaito smiled.<br>"Yes, of course." She replied. "She was happy when I told her I had joined the club, then when it was disbanded she just smiled and told me it was okay, she didn't need to see me perform."  
>"Does she know about Sunday?" Kaito asked. Ushio shook her head.<br>"No, I mean it's a surprise party remember? So she doesn't have any idea about any of it."  
>"Right" He sighed "Well, I wouldn't worry about it. I've seen you guys do that play way too many times, you'll nail it." He smiled. "Besides, Yumi will carry you through; I'll be on the sidelines with the music, cheering you on." He grinned. She laughed at him. "I'm serious!" He bellowed "Besides, at the end of the day there's nothing to be worried about. It'll be in front of your friends and family, no matter how bad you are, whether you mess up your lines or swallow that moustache of yours they-"<br>"My moustache?!" Ushio cried, covering her upper lip.  
>"No, no!" He yelled, waving his arms about "I meant the fake one you'll be wearing!" He laughed.<br>"Oh..." She uttered, removing her hand from above her lip. Kaito sighed.  
>"As I was saying, no matter what they'll just laugh it all off. I promise you you'll be fine, your mom will love it." He smiled. Ushio nodded and smiled back at him. They returned their gaze to the starry sky, watching the twinkling lights as they lay, resting next to the crescent moon.<p>

**~*23*~**


	24. The Big Dango Family

**~*24*~**

"Hey everyone!" A voice yelled as Ushio answered the front door. A woman was standing there; she had long violet hair with indigo eyes. To the left side of her hair she wore a white ribbon that sat just below her ear.  
>"Kyou-Sensei!" Ushio beamed as she dashed out and embraced the woman. Kyou squeezed her old student as Ushio raised her head.<br>"How're you Ushio?" Kyou asked in her jolly voice. Ushio smiled.  
>"Good, I haven't seen you in ages Kyou-Sensei!" She laughed.<br>"Ushio, it's been almost 13 years since I was your teacher." Kyou sighed.  
>"I know, I know. Still, I like calling you it, it's a nickname!" She smiled.<br>"Nicknames are supposed to be short" Kyou laughed as her and Ushio made their way into Ushio's home. In the kitchen a few people were sat at the table. Akio and Sanae were sat down along with a dark haired young woman. "Hello everyone" Kyou repeated as she came through the kitchen's arch way. Akio and Sanae greeted her as did the young woman. "And how're you Mei?" Kyou asked. The young woman smiled.  
>"Super, how've been doing Kyou?" Mei asked as her bright yellow eyes looked on at Kyou.<br>"Good, really good" She smiled "Is Sunohara coming today? I haven't spoken to him for a while." Kyou smiled.  
>"He and Tomoyo will be along in a while." She replied "They're bringing Kenta along with them." Mei smiled.<br>"I haven't seen Kenta in a long time." Ushio stated. Suddenly another knock came from the door. Ushio was about to go answer it Kyou shook her off.  
>"Relax, I'll get it." She smiled; Ushio nodded and took a seat next to Mei. Kyou made her way to the door and opened it. There stood her sister, Ryou Hiiragi along with her husband Kappei. He had long, hay coloured hair along with hazel eyes. "Hey Ryou" Kyou smiled as the two sisters embraced each other.<br>"Hi Kyou, how've you been?" She asked.  
>"Good, how's the job going?"<br>"It's been a little challenging; I actually had to substitute for a care worker the other week so there's been a lot of varied work." She smiled. Kyou smiled back at her shy sister. Looking over Ryou's shoulder she saw Kappei grinning.  
>"Hey Kyou" He laughed. Kyou grinned back at him.<br>"I'll kick your ass on the courts this time Mr Hiiragi." She replied. Ryou laughed at the two of them as she gestured for Kappei to follow her into the house. The three of them went into the kitchen as Akio, Ushio and Mei were having a conversation; Sanae was brewing up some tea.  
>"Hello" Ryou smiled as she entered.<br>"Hi Ryou!" Ushio said as she hugged her.  
>"Its gonna be a full house tonight!" Akio roared... No one responded, he sunk into his chair as Mei laughed at him.<br>"How are you Ryou?" Mei asked.  
>"I'm fine" She smiled, she turned her head. "Kappei, come in here." She called. Kappei and Kyou were in the living room, arguing.<br>"It was 11-9 last time!" Kyou stated.  
>"You've got it wrong, it was 11-8 and you lost!" Kappei responded.<br>"Kappei" Ryou repeated, he looked over as she smiled and gestured for him to come over, he did as Kyou plodded along behind him. "Mei, you haven't met Kappei have you?" Ryou asked.  
>"No" Mei smiled as she stood up and placed a hand out. Kappei shook it as the others greeted him.<br>"Who would like some tea?" Sanae asked as she placed the tea pot onto the table on the table. Everyone raised their hand as Sanae brought out seven cups. Pouring the tea into each of the cups everyone took a sip as they all sat back and relaxed.

Three figures walked along the road towards the Furukawa Bakery. One was a man with jet black hair and deep blue eyes; he still looked as mischievous as ever. He was accompanied by a woman who had a greyish, violet tint to her hair. She also had bright blue eyes which were covered by a pair of glasses. Between them, walking along hand in hand with his parents was a small boy; he looked to be about 5 years old. He had jet black hair, the same as his father's along with his mother's bright blue eyes. "Youhei?" The woman asked as they strolled along the road.  
>"Yeah?"<br>"Are you sure it's down here?" She asked.  
>"Yeah Tomoyo, of course" He grinned.<br>"Mommy, will Sushi be there?" The little boy asked. His mother smiled at him and laughed.  
>"I don't think we're having sushi tonight dear." She teased.<br>"No, will Sushi be there?" He asked again.  
>"Oh, you mean <em>Ushi<em>-o?" She questioned.  
>"Yeah, Sushi" He smiled.<br>"She'll be there kiddo" Youhei laughed. Tomoyo let out a sigh. "What's wrong?" Youhei asked.  
>"How long has it been since we last came here?" Tomoyo asked.<br>"About 2 years, right?" Youhei replied.  
>"And we don't have any idea where we're going." She laughed. The two others joined her as they continued walking along the road, trying to find the route to the Furukawa bakery.<p>

Kumiko made her way up Takeshi's untidy drive. She knocked on the door, after a few minutes it opened. Chiaki stood there, smiling at Kumiko. "Hi" Kumiko said "I'm here for Takeshi" She stated.  
>"Oh, you must be Kumiko; he said you would be coming. Come on in" She smiled.<br>"I don't think we have time." Kumiko replied. Chiaki laughed.  
>"Well, if you want to take my son with you you'll have to wait a little bit. He's just topping off the cake."<br>"The cake?" Kumiko asked. Chiaki brought Kumiko inside the house and gestured her to go into the kitchen, she did. There, decorating a beautifully baked cake stood Takeshi. He was spreading icing out evenly upon the soft sponge. "Takeshi?" Kumiko smiled. Takeshi shot around.  
>"Ah! Kumiko!" He cried as he dropped his icing on the floor." He went red.<br>"You bake?" Kumiko asked.  
>"Mom! Why did you let her in?!" Takeshi yelled as Chiaki came into the kitchen.<br>"Because she's your friend you silly boy" Chiaki laughed. Kumiko let out a giggle.  
>"I never knew you baked Takeshi" She smiled. Takeshi sighed as he picked up his tub of home made icing.<br>"Yeah, well now you know my shameful secret" He said in an exaggerated manner.  
>"Oh no I think it's wonderful" Kumiko smiled, Chiaki nodded at her words.<br>"I tell him that all the time but he never believes me." She laughed.  
>"So, is the cake for Nagisa?" Kumiko asked.<br>"Ushio's mom? Yeah" Takeshi nodded.  
>"I'm sure she'll love it" Kumiko smiled.<p>

"Fuko has arrived!" Fuko announced as Sanae opened the door.  
>"Hello Fu-Chan" She smiled as Fuko hugged her. Releasing Sanae she ran past her and into the house.<br>"Fu-Chan wait, don't be rude" Kouko sighed as she and Yusuke reached the door.  
>"Don't worry about it Kouko" Sanae smiled as she welcomed her friend.<br>"Sanae, thank you for inviting us" Yusuke said in his calm voice. He had a crop of navy hair and blue eyes that shined.  
>"You're more than welcome" Sanae smiled, showing them inside.<br>"I'm sure we can create some wonderful memories" Yusuke said as he closed his eyes.  
>"Still as theatrical as ever" Sanae smiled.<br>"Definitely" Kouko laughed. Fuko had made her way into the kitchen as she sat down with the other guests.  
>"Fuko is pleased to see you all" She smiled.<br>"Fu-Chan, I thought you were supposed to be practicing your _I's_?" Ushio asked. Fuko sighed slightly.  
>"I am pleased to see you all"<br>"Was that hard?" Ushio laughed.  
>"Little sister, you have no idea!" Fuko cried as everyone laughed at the childish girl.<br>"You're still into those stars?" Akio asked as he pointed out the multiple star shaped patterns that covered Fuko's clothes.  
>"Actually, they're star fish" Fuko smiled. The others looked confused.<br>"Fuko, those are stars" Kyou stated. Fuko looked over her outfit, bringing her palms together and breathing in as she spoke.  
>"Stars are still cute" She said as the others smiled at her naivety. Sanae, Yusuke and Kouko walked into the kitchen as Mei began go light headed at the sight of her idol.<br>"Oh Yoshino! It's great to see you!" She beamed. Yusuke smiled at the girl.  
>"Mei, you do this every time" He said letting out a small laugh.<br>"He said my name!" She grinned.  
>"And that" Ushio laughed, as did the others.<p>

"Are you sure you're okay carrying that by yourself?" Kumiko asked as she and Takeshi plodded along down the street and towards Yumi's house.  
>"Yeah I made it; I'll be responsible for it." He said.<br>"Okay" She smiled. They reached Yumi's front garden. Her father was stood out side, watering a few plants. Takeshi placed down the box that contained his cake as he approached the gate.  
>"Hello sir" Takeshi said. The small man turned around.<br>"Oh, it's you." He smiled.  
>"Yeah, it's me."<br>"Are we going to the party with us?" He asked.  
>"If that's okay" Kumiko smiled. The man nodded as he smiled back.<br>"Listen, before we go" Takeshi began "I just want to ask if you if you would mind not telling Yumi that we spoke the other week."  
>"Oh, why not. You made me feel a lot better about everything." The man smiled. Kumiko looked on at the two of them; she didn't really understand what they were speaking about. Takeshi had never spoken to anyone about the conversation that had taken place between Yumi's father and himself.<br>"I just think it would be better if she didn't know, it may cheapen things if you know what I mean"  
>"I understand." He smiled "I haven't mentioned anything of our conversation yet so there's no need to worry."<br>"Thank you sir" Takeshi said, bowing in respect.  
>"You're very welcome." The man replied. "I'm Riku by the way" He said, placing out a rather slim hand. Takeshi shook it.<br>"I'm Takeshi, this is Kumiko." He said, tilting his head in her direction. The man bowed to Kumiko who smiled back.  
>"I'll be back in a minute" Riku said as he stepped inside.<br>"What was that about?" Kumiko asked. Takeshi looked to her and sighed.  
>"Please don't say anything."<br>"Of course not" She smiled. Takeshi nodded.  
>"I gave Yumi's dad a bit of a push so that he make up with her, he spoke with her mom as well. It seems that it worked." He smiled.<br>"That's really nice of you to do Takeshi" Kumiko nodded. Takeshi blushed as Yumi, her mother and her father came out of the house.  
>"Hey guys" Yumi smiled as she approached them, Takeshi and Kumiko greeted her. "I see you both have met my dad, this is my mom Sayaka" She said, waving a hand to her mom. The woman came over. Like her husband she was rather small. She had short, dark violet hair and blue eyes.<br>"How do you do" She said, bowing to both of them. They both bowed back.  
>"I'm Takeshi"<br>"And I'm Kumiko" Kumiko added. Sayaka smiled.  
>"It's wonderful to meet you both."<br>"Are you excited for the performance?" Takeshi asked.  
>"Oh yes, Riku and I have yet to see our daughter perform, it's should be brilliant." She nodded, looking to Yumi who smiled.<br>"Alright everyone" Riku said "Let's get going." He walked over to the car, it was rather big. It looked similar to mini-bus.  
>"There's enough room for this right?" Takeshi asked as he picked up the rather large box that held his cake.<br>"Just place it in the back" Riku smiled. Takeshi nodded as he walked around the back of the car and loaded up the cake.  
>"What's in the box?" Yumi asked Kumiko.<br>"It's best not to ask" She smiled, Yumi nodded at her words.  
>"Right, let's go!" Yumi bellowed as they all got in the car together.<p>

"So, what do you think?" Kaito asked as he revealed his outfit to Juni. It consisted of a red shirt along with dark jeans and shoes.  
>"Yep, great" Juni sighed.<br>"What man?"  
>"Well, Kaito, come on. You're asking me for fashion advice" Juni laughed.<br>"True, but you're my only hope" He smirked. Juni waved his at towards Kaito.  
>"Very funny" He sighed. Juni checked his phone. "We should probably get going soon."<br>"True, give me just 2 minutes." He smiled as Juni nodded.

Riku was driving along with his passengers as the five of them passed a trio of people who appeared to be lost. There was a man with them; he placed out his arm as Riku passed. Riku pulled in next to the three of them. He rolled down the window as he saw that the man had a woman and child with him, the woman began to speak.  
>"Excuse me, we're kind of in a hurry would you mind telling us how to get to the Furukawa Bakery please?" She asked.<br>"We need to get to a party you see" The man added.  
>"Oh, we're actually going there right now." Riku smiled.<br>"Really?"  
>"Yeah, we're friends of Ushio's" Kumiko stated. The man looked at her.<br>"Wait a minute, you're Kumiko right?" He asked.  
>"Um, yes" She smiled.<br>"It's me, Youhei, this is Tomoyo, do you remember us?"  
>"Oh, yes, of course!" She laughed "Sorry, it's been a while hasn't it?"<br>"I think it's been nearly 4 years since we last saw you." Tomoyo smiled.  
>"That long?" Kumiko asked as the two nodded, suddenly a voice popped up.<br>"Mommy, when are we going?" It asked, Kumiko saw the head of a little boy press up against the car window as his mother picked him up.  
>"In a minute sweetie" Tomoyo smiled.<br>"You know; if you're in need of a lift, hop in. There's plenty of room." Riku smiled.  
>"Are you sure?" Youhei asked.<br>"Of course" Sayaka added. Tomoyo and Youhei thanked them as they opened the back of the mini-bus. They sat inside with Kenta.  
>"I'm Youhei by the way, this is Tomoyo and Kenta" He smiled.<br>"This is Takeshi, Yumi, Sayaka and Riku." Kumiko said as everyone greeted their new friends.

Juni and Kaito made their way down the road from Kaito's home; Mrs. Nakano had just arrived to take care of his grandmother. As they came out near the local park the saw a van of some kind pulling up next to the bakery. As the doors of the van came open Takeshi, Yumi, Kumiko, Yumi's parents and three other figures. Juni and Kaito made their war over. "Hey" Kaito smiled, the others greeted him as Kumiko and Juni hugged each other.  
>"Guys, these are my parents, Sayaka and Riku" Yumi said, introducing the two.<br>"I'm Kaito"  
>"I'm Juni" They replied.<br>"And these are Youhei, Tomoyo and Kenta, friends of Ushio's family." Kumiko smiled as they all greeted each other.  
>"What's in the box Keshi?" Kaito asked. Takeshi went read.<br>"Just a cake" He replied.  
>"You bought a cake?" Yumi asked. Takeshi sighed.<br>"Look, you're gonna find out soon enough. I baked it." He stated. Yumi, Juni and Kaito held their grins back.  
>"Really?" Kaito asked.<br>"Yep" Takeshi replied, though his friends could no longer hold their amusement and began to laugh. "You guys are the worst" He sighed.  
>"Oh Keshi, come on" Juni smiled.<br>"Yeah, we just didn't expect it" Yumi added.  
>"Are you any good?" Kaito asked. Takeshi looked at him with a blank expression.<br>"Remember ages ago when I brought a load of anpan to school?" He asked.  
>"Yeah..."<br>"Did you like that?"  
>"Sure" Kaito smiled.<br>"Well, there you go." He said as he walked past them and over to the door.  
>"Wait, Keshi!" Kaito yelled as Takeshi turned around. "Here" He smiled as he pulled out a Santa hat and beard from his pocket.<br>"What is that for?" Takeshi asked.  
>"Ushio's grandpa will kill you remember? You need a disguise" He laughed as Takeshi sighed. Youhei leaned over to Tomoyo as he whispered in her ear.<br>"This all seems very familiar" He said as she smiled at his words.

"Uncle Youhei!" Ushio beamed as they all walked into the house. She hugged him as he smiled.  
>"Hey Ushio, long time no see" He laughed. Ushio hugged Tomoyo as she welcomed the other guests that had arrived, people made their greetings as the house was getting rather crowded.<br>"Hey Mei!" Youhei smiled as he gave his little sister a cuddle.  
>"How're you two doing?" She asked as she turned to welcome her sister-in law.<br>"Fine Mei, your brother's a lot to handle but I manage" She laughed.  
>"Sushi!" Kenta yelled as Ushio hugged him.<br>"Aw Kenta, I've haven't seen you in ages!" She laughed.  
>"Hey guys!" Youhei said as he saw Ryou, Kyou and the others.<br>"Hello Youhei" Ryou smiled.  
>"Tomoyo better be keeping you in check." Kyou grinned.<br>"Of course, of course" Youhei laughed.  
>"I hope to make a lot of memories with you all today" Yusuke smiled as Fuko and Kouko laughed at him. Kaito, Takeshi, Yumi and Juni all shared a look and smiled. It was rather unusual for them to see this amount of people appear for just one person yet Kumiko had seen this all before.<br>"Her mom must be pretty special" Yumi smiled.  
>"She is" Kumiko laughed. Kyou made her way over to Kumiko. "Kyou!" She smiled.<br>"Hi Kumiko!" She said. Juni looked at them both, slightly confused.  
>"Juni, Kyou was mine and Ushio's kindergarten teacher." She smiled.<br>"Oh, it's nice to meet you" He said, Kyou smiled at him.  
>"Kumiko, is this your boy friend?" She grinned. Kumiko nodded. "Aw, well aren't you two just the cutest couple!" She smiled, Juni and Kumiko blushed. Yumi introduced her parents to everyone.<br>"I hope we're not intruding" Sayaka smiled.  
>"Of course not!" Akio beamed as he and Sanae welcomed them.<br>"We're very happy to have you both here" Ushio smiled. Ushio brought her friends into the kitchen as she began to introduce them to everyone. "Yumi, Kaito, Takeshi, Juni. This is Mei, Youhei, Tomoyo, Kenta, Kyou, Ryou, Kappei, Fu-Chan, Yusuke, Kouko, Sanae and Aki." She smiled.  
>"It's nice to meet you all" They all said.<br>"What's in the box?" Mei asked, looking to Takeshi.  
>"Oh, I erm, baked a cake for Ushio's mother." He smiled.<br>"Aw, that's so sweet!" Sanae smiled.  
>"Takeshi you bake?" Ushio asked.<br>"Yeah..."  
>"Well, Aki and Sanae bake, this is a bakery after all" She laughed.<br>"Yeah, kid. You any good?" Akio asked, peering at Takeshi. Takeshi looked back at him through his Santa hat and beard which masked his face.  
>"W-Well, I'm better than the average dude" Takeshi laughed, Akio squinted at the boy who began to shake a little.<br>"Wait a minute, I know you don't I?" He asked.  
>"N-No!" Takeshi sobbed. Akio's gaze shifted around the room and landed on Kaito.<br>"I know you too!" He yelled.  
>"It wasn't me!" Kaito cried.<br>"What wasn't you?" Kyou asked as they all looked at him.  
>"Keshi, Keshi's the one who chucked the bat at you!" Kaito shouted as Akio began to approach him. He came a stop, looking over to the boy in the Santa hat who roared at his friend's betrayal.<br>"Kaito!"  
>"Oops" Kaito sighed.<br>"You little bastard!" Akio yelled as he darted towards Takeshi who trembled in fear.  
>"Aki don't!" Ushio panicked as Akio grabbed Takeshi. Instead of beating the poor boy he embraced him, roaring with laughter as he did.<br>"It takes one brave kid to get one on me like that!" He laughed. Takeshi laughed at Akio's words; he definitely thought he was insane. Everyone stood there, laughing at the absurdity of the two of them. Amongst all the commotion, Kaito hadn't even noticed that Mrs. Hiiragi was stood next to him.  
>"Hiiragi?!" He asked in surprise.<br>"Hello Kaito" She smiled. Ushio came over to them.  
>"You two know each other?" Ushio asked.<br>"Yeah, she took care of my grandma for a while." He replied. Ryou nodded.  
>"I also know Takeshi, Junichiro and Yumi." She laughed "And of course, I know Kumiko." The six friends all stood in font of Ryou.<br>"That's an incredible coincidence" Ushio asked. "But how?"  
>"Well, obviously I've met Kumiko multiple times" Ryou smiled. "Takeshi and Junichiro, well I've seen those two at Kaito's before, as for Yumi, well."<br>"She's taken care of Kazuki from time to time." Riku smiled.  
>"Right" Ryou nodded.<br>"That's weird" Ushio laughed.  
>"Or it could be just down to a few fortunate meetings" Ryou smiled as the others nodded at her mysterious words.<p>

There was another knock on the door. "I'll get it" Tomoyo smiled. Opening the door she was met with a pleasant surprise. "Misae!" She beamed.  
>"Hey Tomoyo!" The blue haired woman smiled. Behind her another woman stood there, she had mousey coloured hair and blue eyes.<br>"Hey Miyazawa" Tomoyo smiled.  
>"How do you do Sakagami." Yukine smiled. Tomoyo welcomed them both inside. A small cat followed them in as Misae picked him up.<br>"I told you not to follow us" She laughed as the cat meowed at the woman. They were greeted by the rest of guests and introduced to the newer recruits of the gathering, Kaito, Juni, Yumi etc.  
>"That's surely everyone right?" Juni asked Ushio.<br>"Nope! There's still one more!" Kyou bellowed, cutting in.  
>"Who?" Juni asked.<br>"Kotomi" Ushio smiled "Another old friend of my parents."  
>"How long is she going to be?" Youhei asked.<br>"Ah, Tomoya said that she could be late from the airport" Akio replied.  
>"Oh right, she's coming from America isn't she?" Yukine asked.<br>"That's right." Ushio smiled.  
>"She lives in America?" Kaito asked Kumiko. She nodded.<br>"She does a lot of scientific research out there, or so I've been told. I've only ever met her once." She smiled.  
>"I see" Kaito said. Kumiko felt around in her little bag that lay by a strap over her shoulder.<br>"Here" She said, handing Kaito a CD. "That's all the music you'll need." I've timed it so just start with track 1 and switch to 3 when it's your cue" She smiled.  
>"Oh yeah, the play. With all the commotion I had actually forgot." He sighed.<br>"Good luck" Kumiko said, laughing at Kaito's words.

"So you honestly like the gift?" Tomoya asked as he and Nagisa walked down the road.  
>"Of course!" She laughed "You get me the same thing every year so I'm never disappointed." She smiled. Tomoya sighed.<br>"Yeah, they're so hard to find these days though."  
>"It doesn't matter, you've done it for almost 20 years" She said, hugging the Dango plushie that she held in her arms. It was bright blue and had a grumpy expression on its face. Nagisa didn't mind, she would love any Dango in the world, especially if Tomoya had bought it for her.<br>"I guess so." He smiled. She nodded as they came to a stop on a road. They could see the bakery a little ways off in the distance. Nagisa leaned into Tomoya as she pursed her lips. Smiling, he closed his eyes as he too leaned in. They shared a kiss as Tomoya placed his hands on Nagisa's face. As he pulled away she smiled at him. "Come on, let's go" He said as they continued down the road and onto the bakery.

"Okay everyone! We need to take positions. Tomoya just sent me a text; they're only a minute or so away!" Sanae yelled over the talkative guests. A slight panic came about the house as everyone attempted to find a place to hide. Among the masses Kaito and Takeshi knelt down behind an old arm chair.  
>"This is pretty crazy" Kaito laughed.<br>"I know, I can't imagine having this big of a family" Takeshi replied.  
>"Well, a lot of them aren't even family" Kaito stated. Takeshi smiled.<br>"You know what I mean" He said "Family is people who are close to you, right?"  
>"I guess" Kaito nodded. The majority had managed to find a spot as Akio and Youhei were pushing each other away as the two of them hid behind a door.<br>"Come on, give me a little room!" Youhei moaned, Kyou hushed him.  
>"See Sanae! I told you it would be a full house!" Akio roared as every yelled at him to be quiet. The red headed man began to sulk as he slumped down to the floor, giving Youhei enough room to hide next to him.<p>

A few minutes later the front door slowly came open as Tomoya popped his head in, Sanae nodded. Tomoya opened the door as he and Nagisa walked in. "SURPRISE!" Everyone yelled, Nagisa was caught completely off guard. The Dango flew out her arms as Mei caught it. Tears began to form at the corners of Nagisa's eyes as she turned to Tomoya.  
>"Did you do this?" She smiled.<br>"Everyone chipped in" Tomoya replied.  
>"Happy Birthday mom!" Ushio beamed, hugging her. Everyone gave Nagisa their wishes as well. She wiped her eyes as she began to speak.<br>"Thank you so much everyone, it's like one big Dango family!" She laughed.  
>"Okay, who had me on 200 yen that she'd say that?" Youhei bellowed as everyone laughed at his jest.<p>

After Nagisa had opened her presents and had been introduced to all of Ushio's friends, Takeshi and Kaito brought out the cake. "We had bought one yanno." Akio sighed.  
>"Don't be silly" Nagisa smiled, "Thank you Fujimoto, this looks amazing." He blushed at her words.<br>"Hey buddy" Tomoya whispered to Youhei. "Thanks for coming"  
>"No worries, it's been way too long since we've seen you guys." He smiled, Tomoya nodded at his friend.<br>"So how did you know Ushio's mom and dad?" Yumi asked as she and her friends watched Nagisa and Sanae cut the cake.  
>"He came over once, that's all." Ushio smiled. Kumiko looked confused.<br>"Is there something going on with you two?" She asked, hiding her grin.  
>"No, of course not" Kaito replied. "It was when I was having a few problems."<br>"I thought it would take his mind off things" Ushio laughed as her friends nodded. Yumi gave Kaito a wink as he rolled her eyes at her. Kouko and Fuko began to hand out slices of Takeshi's homemade cake.  
>"Here you go Mr. Weirdo" Fuko laughed as she gave a slice to Kaito, he sighed and thanked her. "One for you Mrs. Koharu" She smiled, giving on to Yumi.<br>"Thank you." She replied. Looking to Ushio and waiting for Fuko to move along she spoke. "Ushio, you never did tell me about Fuko.  
>"Oh, right" She smiled as she gestured for her five friends to come into the kitchen, away from the crowd of friends and family. "Believe it or not" She began "Fuko was in the same situation as your bother Koharu."<br>"Really?"  
>"Yeah, when she was in high school she was hit by a car and also went into a coma. I think it took around 7 years until she woke up thought." Yumi nodded at Ushio. "So, really even after all this time she still has the mind of someone our age."<br>"Our age?" Takeshi questioned. Ushio nodded.  
>"She never went back to school so Yusuke and Kouko basically adopted her, she's Kouko's little sister after all." She looked to Yumi "The doctors kept saying that they had given up hope on her waking up, Kouko never gave up hope though and Fuko did wake up." She smiled.<br>"Thanks Ushio" Yumi smiled as Takeshi placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.

There was, yet again, a knock on the front door. Tomoya went to open it. On the other side stood a very beautiful woman, she had dark blue hair and vibrant violet eyes. Her hair flowed out from the sides, kept together with two pink hair bobbles."Hello Tomoya" She smiled.  
>"Kotomi" He said, hugging her. They came into the house as everyone turned to see the new arrival.<br>"Hey, Kotomi!" Youhei bellowed. Nagisa's face turned white.  
>"K-Kotomi!" She gasped.<br>"Hello Nagisa" She replied. Nagisa dashed towards her friend as they embraced each other.  
>"Is that the one who's visiting from America?" Juni asked Kumiko as she nodded.<br>"It's been so long" Nagisa said. Her friend nodded.  
>"Happy Birthday Nagisa" She said. "It's wonderful to see you all" Kotomi smiled, looking over the many faces at Nagisa's birthday party.<p>

An hour had passed; the guests had been catching up with each other, drinking and eating Takeshi's cake; to his enjoyment. "See, people love my cake" He smiled.  
>"They certain do" Ushio replied. In the kitchen Tomoya, Nagisa, Youhei, Kyou, Kotomi and Ryou all sat around the table, they were reminiscing on old memories.<br>"Remember when you thought Nagisa was a lesbian though, Ryou?" Youhei laughed "That was pretty funny"  
>"Yeah, and then Kyou decided to attack us for the 20th time that day" Tomoya smiled.<br>"Yeah, well you two were always up to no good." Kyou remarked. Nagisa laughed at Kyou's words.  
>"That's very true." She smiled.<br>"Kotomi" Ryou began; her friend looked over "How is your research coming along?" She asked.  
>"Yeah, I haven't heard much about it lately" Tomoya stated.<br>"Well, it's been rather slow for the past couple of months. Nothing new yet we're still managing to gather info with what we have, in hopes for some new results." She smiled.  
>"I see." Nagisa nodded.<br>"We actually have reason to believe that, well, access to the other worlds maybe able to be achieved by certain people."  
>"Certain people?" Kyou asked.<br>"Yes, there are special people in the world who can see, well, glimpses of these worlds." Nagisa looked over to Tomoya who smiled. "Sometimes they may see physical representations of objects in another world that just so happen to appear here." Kotomi explained. Her friends were scratching their heads by this point.  
>"That sounds really confusing" Youhei laughed. Kotomi smiled.<br>"Well, if you'd like a simpler example then there's a theory in which some people maybe able to access the other worlds through their dreams." She said.  
>"That still doesn't help" Kyou smiled. Kotomi nodded.<br>"I know, I often get confused myself during research." She smiled. "There's also another theory about the connection between our world and the other worlds. Such as feelings; like happiness and events such as death." She stated. Tomoya spoke up.  
>"Well, I'm glad to see that your research isn't going to waste Kotomi, we all know how much effort you've put into it." He smiled.<br>"Thank you Tomoya" She replied.

"So how are you and Yuuto doing Mei?" Tomoyo asked as she, Mei, Kenta, Misae and Sanae were sat down in the living room.  
>"Oh, we're really good." The dark haired girl replied.<br>"How long has it been now?" Misae asked.  
>"Almost 4 years now" Mei smiled.<br>"Maybe he'll pop the question soon then." Sanae teased as Tomoyo and Misae laughed.  
>"Well, he can take his time." Mei laughed.<br>"Are you enjoying the cake?" Sanae asked as Kenta stuffed his third piece into his mouth.  
>"I- Go-d" He mumbled as Sanae gave him a big smile. Over to the right of them Akio, Yusuke and Kappei were talking.<br>"We're definitely gonna do this right?" Akio asked.  
>"I'm up for it." Kappei smiled.<br>"What about your leg, how are doing with it these days?" Yusuke asked.  
>"Oh, you know. It's been okay, I've strengthened it to the point that I can run a good mile or two now." Kappei replied.<br>"Well, that's a lot better than someone I know" Yusuke smirked, looking to Akio.  
>"Hey, I can run a mile, I just get tired easily." Akio retorted.<br>"That's a sign of your old age my friend." Yusuke smiled, Kappei let out a laugh.  
>"Hey, you'll both come to it." He grinned "Anyway, we're going to do it right? I'm thinking if we can get Tomoya in, along with Ushio's three friends then we'll have enough for the five a side with two substitutes as well." Akio stated.<br>"What about Sunohara?" Yusuke asked.  
>"He'll probably be going back home won't he?" Akio asked. "I doubt he'll be here for long."<br>"Fair enough" Yusuke replied.

Kumiko stood with Juni, Yukine, Kouko and Fuko. Fuko was giving them a lecture. "Their straight edge shape, which can also be curvy, adds two more points to their cuteness level." She beamed.  
>"But that wasn't what I asked." Yukine laughed.<br>"No?" Fuko replied.  
>"Fu-Chan, Yukine asked how your check-ups were going" Kouko remarked.<br>"Oh, Fuko is fine" She replied as Kouko let out a sigh.  
>"They've been going great." Kouko smiled. Fuko ran off, over to Nagisa and her friends as Kumiko spoke.<br>"Kouko, not to be rude at all but I have a question."  
>"Don't worry" Kouko replied "Ask me anything."<br>"I don't understand, if Fuko has been out of her coma for so long why does she still require the check-ups?" She asked.  
>"Well, Fu-Chan can be quite temperamental. It's not that there's anything wrong though. It's just that her personality can shift easily. You know, sometimes she does act mature, more often that not though, she's very child like." She laughed.<br>"I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing though." Juni commented.  
>"You don't?" Kouko asked. Juni went red.<br>"Oh, sorry I was just thinking out loud, I didn't mean to interrupt." He said.  
>"It's fine; go ahead, what were you thinking?" Kouko asked as Yukine and Kumiko smiled at Juni.<br>"Well, I mean. Maybe it isn't so bad that Fuko isn't always as mature as she should be. She's really fun after all" He laughed. Kouko smiled.  
>"She's definitely that alright."<p>

Ushio, Kaito, Yumi, Takeshi, Riku and Sayaka had all gone outside the house, over across the road to the park. Takeshi, Riku and Sayaka were helping the others set up for the play. Riku and Takeshi were unloading a few props from the back of the mini-bus. "This is actually quite heavy" Takeshi laughed as the two of them carried a table over to the park.  
>"You can handle it" Riku jested "I had to put it in the car myself and I'm far weaker than you." He smiled. Takeshi laughed at his comment as they placed the table down. Takeshi noticed a little ball of fur coming his way.<br>"Hey, isn't this that ladies cat?" He asked.  
>"It's Misae's, he'll be alright." Ushio called over. Takeshi nodded as he walked over to Kaito who was setting up the music.<br>"Hey buddy" Kaito smiled as he was attempting to open up the battery case.  
>"Gimme it" Takeshi said, taking the portable stereo off of Kaito. "How old is this thing?" He asked.<br>"Dunno; Yumi brought it along. I thought I'd put some new batteries in it, just in case." Kaito replied.  
>"Fair enough" Takeshi said. On a patch of grass, in front of the row of benches where Ushio and Kaito had been sat the over night, Yumi and Ushio were going through their lines.<br>"So that is what you think." Yumi said.  
>"Yes. For us to live together any longer would be an obscene joke. Let's end it while we still have some sanity and decency left." Ushio replied.<br>"That's good" Yumi smiled, you're remembering them.  
>"Thanks" Ushio laughed. Sayaka was sat on one of the benches, watching her daughter prepare with her friends. Sayaka had a sweet smile on her face as Riku came over to join her, watching over their daughter together.<p>

Tomoya felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Taking it out, he read a text. 'We're ready dad, bring mom and everyone out xx" It read. Tomoya smiled and placed the phone back in his pocket. Picking up a glass and using a fork to make his announcement everyone went quiet. "Wow, I didn't know that was all I had to do to get you guys to be quiet... I'll have to remember that one." He winked as everyone laughed. "Nagisa" He said, turning to her. "There's one more surprise for you." He smiled.  
>"Another?" She laughed "I don't think I can take anymore" She teased.<br>"You'll love this one" He said, taking her hand. "Everyone, come on out to the park!" He yelled as everyone followed him outside and across the road to the park.

Ushio and Yumi stood there, facing the row of benches as everyone stood, crouched and sat down. Nagisa smiled when she saw her daughter. She wore one of Tomoya's shirts and a tie. She also had a fake moustache and her hair was tied back. Yumi looked the same as always except her hair was tied up in a bun. "Mom" Ushio said as everyone went quiet. "I know you were disappointed that you wouldn't get to see us perform at the Founder' Festival. This is the play we were going to perform and we'd liked to do that for you know." She smiled. "That's why we invited Riku and Sayaka"  
>"Forgive me" Nagisa said, looking to the couple "I was wondering" She laughed.<br>"Not to worry, we're very happy to be here." Riku smiled. Yumi nodded at her parents. Nagisa wiped a tear from her eye as Ushio sat down on one of the chairs that accompanied the small table. Yumi walked off, standing next to Kaito who held the portable stereo. Yumi gave him an 'okay' sign as he pressed a switch. A soothing piano medley, one of Kumiko's choices, began to fill the air as Yumi walked over to the table. Thus, the play began.

Ushio stood up to face Yumi. "Can't we just finish without another sentimental line?" She said, giving a slight pause. "I'm in no mood to act out a pretty scene with you." Yumi gave a sharp look.  
>"That was unjust, Paul. You know I don't mean that. What I want is to make you understand, so you won't hate me." She sighed.<br>"More explanations. I thought we had both got tired of them. I used to think it possible to heal a wound by words. But we ought to know better. They're like acid in it." Ushio replied.  
>"Please don't, Paul" Yumi said, pausing for a moment. "This is the last time we shall ever hurt each other. Won't you listen to me?"<br>"Go on." Ushio muttered as she sat down wearily. Kaito pressed another button as the soothing piano sounds of before turn into a saddened, dry tune.  
>"I know you hate me. You have a right to. Not just because I was faithless-but because I was cruel. I don't want to excuse myself-but I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't realize I was hurting you." Yumi admitted.<br>"We've gone over that a thousand times." Ushio replied.  
>"Yes. I've said that before. And you've answered me that that excuse might hold for the first time, but not for the second and the third. You've convicted me of deliberate cruelty on that. And I've never had anything to say. I couldn't say anything, because the truth was ... too preposterous. It wasn't any use telling it before. But now I want you to know the real reason." Yumi said, tears began to move to the corners of her eyes yet she wiped them away.<br>"A new reason, eh?"  
>"Something I've never confessed to you." Yumi stated. "Yes. It is true that I was cruel to you-deliberately. I did want to hurt you. And do you know why? I wanted to shatter that Olympian serenity of yours. You were too strong, too self-confident. You had the air of a being that nothing could hurt. You were like a god."<br>"That was a long time ago. Was I ever Olympian? I had forgotten it. You succeeded very well-you shattered it in me." Ushio said as her eyes also began to leak tears.  
>"You are still Olympian. And I still hate you for it. I wish I could make you suffer now. But I have lost my power to do that." Yumi scowled, folding her arms.<br>"Aren't you contented with what you have done? It seems to me that I have suffered enough recently to satisfy even your ambitions." Ushio stated.  
>"No-or you couldn't talk like that." Yumi sighed. "You sit there-making phrases. Oh, I have hurt you a little; but you will recover. You always recovered quickly. You are not human. If you were human, you would remember that we once were happy, and be a little sorry that all that is over. But you can't be sorry. You have made up your mind, and can think of nothing but that." She cried, looking away from Ushio who closed her eyes.<p>

A while later the play was still going on, the audience was heavily invested. Kaito looked on at the two of them, his job was over, and as little as it was he still felt like he had contributed, that he was a part of something. Yumi and Ushio carried on. "I was afraid you _did_ want me! And-I was sorry for you, Paul-I thought if you did, I would try to make things up to you, by starting over again-if you wanted to." Yumi yelled.  
>"So that was it..." Ushio sighed.<br>"Yes, that was it." Yumi nodded. "And so-"  
>"You needn't say any more. Will you go, or shall I?" Ushio interrupted in a harsh tone. Yumi spoke lightly at Ushio's words.<br>"I'm going, Paul." She began. "But I think-since we may not meet this time next year-that I'd better tell you the secret of that third time. When you asked me a while ago, I cried, and said I couldn't talk about it. But I can now."  
>"You mean-"<br>"Yes. My last cruelty. I had a special reason for being cruel to you. Shan't I tell you?" Yumi asked.  
>"Just as you please" Ushio retorted. Yumi took a deep sigh, standing and turning to the audience she closed her eyes.<br>"My reason was this: I had learned what it is to love-and I knew that I had never loved you-never. I wanted to hurt you so much that you would leave me. I wanted to hurt you in such a way as to keep you from ever coming near me again. I was afraid that if you did forgive me and take me in your arms, you would feel me shudder, and see the terror and loathing in my eyes. I wanted-for even then I cared for you a little-to spare you that." She said as she began to weep. Ushio's let out small croak as she tried to speak.  
>"Are you going?" She asked. Yumi produced a desk calendar from underneath the table, it was decorated with greenery. Tearing a leaf from it, she held it in front of Ushio. Her voice overflowed with regret.<br>"Did you notice the date?" She asked. "It is the eighth of June. Do you remember what day that is? We used to celebrate it once a year. It is the day of our first kiss..." She said as the leaf fluttered down, landing next to Ushio. Ushio sat there, looking at Yumi. She stood up and turned to the audience, reciting an interior monologue.  
>"For a moment, it seemed clear to me that we still loved each other, and that a single word from myself, a mere gesture, perhaps holding out my arms to her, perhaps that would reunite us. Yet, doubt fills my mind." Ushio concluded. Yumi watched her for a moment and let out a sigh. She stood and turned away. Hesitating, she slowly walked away from Ushio. Ushio began another monologue. "Making sure she had gone I picked up the fallen leaf from the calendar. Holding it in my hands I gazed at it. I stood there, stood there looking at it with the air of a man confronted by an unsolvable enigma." She said as Kaito turned the music down to mute.<p>

Ushio and Yumi stood in front of everyone, taking their bows. Youhei gave a whistle as everyone cheered. "Bravo, bravo!" Akio bellowed.  
>"Great job guys!" Takeshi beamed. Ushio looked over to Kaito who smiled at her. She smiled back and gesture for him to join them. He hesitated until Yumi nodded at him. He walked over; standing in between Ushio and Yumi they both grabbed his hands as they all bowed together.<p>

"It was brilliant Ushio!" Nagisa smiled as she hugged her daughter.  
>"Thanks mom!" She mumbled through her mother's grip.<br>"Yeah, it was really good." Kumiko added as Juni nodded. Takeshi stood there, looking over to Yumi who was being cradled in her parents arms.  
>"You were amazing Yumi!" Riku beamed as he hugged her. Her mother kissed her.<br>"We never knew you were so talented." She said, rubbing Yumi's nose with her own. Takeshi grinned as he went over to congratulate her. Yumi's parents saw the boy walking over as they released her from their embracement. He smiled as he approached.  
>"You were brilliant Yumi, honestly, amazing." He said. Yumi blushed as she thanked him. The rest of the guests watched and waited to give the girls their praise. Kaito stood off to the side of everyone, watching Ushio and her family as he noted how happy she had made her mother. Suddenly someone spoke from behind him.<br>"You did great kid." The voice said as Kaito turned around, it was Tomoya.  
>"Nah, I barely did anything." Kaito laughed. Tomoya smiled at Kaito's modesty.<br>"Maybe, you were there for them though, you supported them. That's what matters." He said, folding his arms as he looked on at his family.  
>"She sure looks happy." Kaito smiled.<br>"Nagisa always is" Tomoya nodded. Kaito let out a cough.  
>"I was actually talking about Ushio" He laughed. Tomoya looked at him.<br>"Oh, yeah she is." He said. "Thanks to her friends you know."  
>"I'm glad." Kaito stated.<br>"So am I" Tomoya agreed, he looked to Kaito and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks for being there for her." He said as smiled and walked away for the boy, joining his family to congratulate his daughter. Kaito stayed there, watching everyone celebrate. He saw Ushio look over to him as she smiled, he returned it. He felt a warmth form in his body, one he had felt a lot as of late. He couldn't help but smile. Kaito, for once, actually felt happy, he felt like he belonged to something. He felt like he belonged to one big happy Dango family.

**~*24*~**

_This was the hardest chapter yet. The sheer number of characters really made it difficult, there were about 25 to write for. I had to write down a guest list and check everyone off as they arrived in the story haha! I won't be making a big habit out of having the older characters constantly appear, they may pop up every now and again but this is the biggest reunion you'll get for them. Those of you who have played the visual novel will know exactly who Kappei is and understand the reference to his leg. Stay tuned!_


	25. A Clannad Christmas

**~*25*~**

Running through the fields he came to a stop. His gaze shifted across the plains as he settled on a figure far off in the distance. Yet, as the bright lights filled the sky his vision became obscured. Losing sight of the figure he began to run. Running and running. He passed through the wheat fields, under the sky filled with light, never stopping, always running.

"And we're back" Takeshi said as he and his friends entered the reference room.  
>"What are you doing?" Ushio asked. Takeshi let out a laugh.<br>"Just practicing for when we come back after the holidays" He smiled. Kaito rolled his eyes.  
>"You just get weirder and weirder."<br>"Whatever" Takeshi sighed as they all took a seat around the table. Yumi, Kumiko, Juni and Ushio all brought out a bento each. Kaito and Takeshi didn't have anything with them. "You know, I really miss those couple of bentos you made me." Takeshi laughed as Yumi opened her box.  
>"Well, surely you can make your own... Mr. Baker" She replied, smiling.<br>"Yeah Keshi, you could definitely whip up a creme brulee." Juni laughed.  
>"Oh be quiet" Takeshi replied as he began to sulk.<br>"Don't be so mean" Kumiko remarked. "It's great that Takeshi can bake" She smiled.  
>"Girls do like a guy that can cook." Kaito stated. Ushio raised an eyebrow.<br>"We do, do we?" She laughed.  
>"That is true, to be fair." Yumi smiled, winking at Takeshi who began to blush.<p>

15 minutes had passed as they all began to finish their meals. "So what is everyone doing today?" Juni asked.  
>"Well, my uncle Youhei and his family, along with Kotomi are still here for a few days. So they're coming over to my grandparent's house for Christmas dinner." Ushio smiled.<br>"I'll be having dinner with my mom and dad; we'll probably visit Kazuki for a little bit." Yumi stated.  
>"Dinner with my parents" Kumiko nodded.<br>"N' al just be having it with my mom and my brother." Takeshi sighed, "What about you Juni?"  
>"Same, with my parents probably, though we barely celebrate Christmas so it will most likely just be a normal dinner" He laughed.<br>"What about you Kaito?" Ushio wondered. He let out a sigh.  
>"I'll probably just make something for my gran, nothing special" He replied.<br>"Wont you have Mrs Nakano with you?" Juni asked. Kaito shook his head.  
>"No, we give her the days off on Christmas and stuff, yanno for her to spend it with her family." Kaito said.<br>"I see." Juni replied. Kumiko smiled.  
>"How is your grandmother doing?" She asked.<br>"Alright I suppose..." He sighed. Just then, the door slid open as Mr. Miyagi came through, as he always did.  
>"Last smoke of the semester" He smiled.<br>"I hope it's a good one sir" Yumi laughed. My. Miyagi nodded as he walked over to a window and pushed it open. Taking out a cigarette and a lighter he flicked the switch, igniting the flame. Blowing a few rings of smoke out he sighed.  
>"You guys have only got one more semester left" He stated. The six students all shared a strange look.<br>"We know" Takeshi replied. Mr. Miyagi smiled as he blew out a few more puffs of smoke.  
>"You should all try and make the most of it. These days don't last forever."<br>"What do you mean?" Ushio asked. Mr. Miyagi flicked his cigarette as a chunk of ash fell out of the window.  
>"Well, you know. These friendships, they could go one way or another." He stated.<br>"You mean we wouldn't be friends anymore?" Juni asked, a look of worry came over his face.  
>"Nah, not anything like that... Well, I dunno really. People go their separate ways, relationships are tested." He sighed. Takeshi gave a look to Kaito as if to ask what the hell their teacher was going on about.<br>"Sir" Takeshi began. "Did something like that happen to you?"  
>"Bah, you don't want to listen to an old fool like me." He laughed. Kumiko shook her head.<br>"Hardly sir, you must be in your 30's at the most." She smiled. Mr. Miyagi let out a laugh.  
>"You kids are far too good to me." He smiled "Are you sure you want to hear my tale?"<br>"Of course" Yumi smiled. He nodded as he placed his cigarette on the window ledge, allowing it to die out.

In March of 2002 a young man was walking out of the courtyard of his school, Hikarizaka private. He had a scruff of black hair along with bright blue eyes. He wasn't very tall, nor was he very short, he was simply average. As he walked along, passing several students among the masses that had left the school grounds, he noticed a familiar face up ahead. "Yuki!" He yelled. The young woman turned around. She had long, dark flowing hair with green eyes. She was very pretty.  
>"Oh, hey" She said, giving a weak smile. The young man came up to her with a smile.<br>"I thought you were ill today?" He asked. The girl sighed.  
>"Yeah, well I felt better so I thought I'd come in."<br>"Oh... Right."  
>"Yep" She nodded. A quiet moment followed as several other students walked past them.<br>"So, do you wanna go catch a movie tonight? Or we could have dinner over at mine." He said. She shook her head.  
>"Can't."<br>"Why not?"  
>"I'm busy" She replied bluntly.<br>"What's wrong?" He asked as he attempted to brush her hair behind her ear. She grabbed his hand and gently pushed it away. "What's the matter?"  
>"Look. Miyagi-Kun, we need to ta-"<br>"You haven't called me 'Miyagi-Kun' in over 3 years..." He stated. She nodded at his words.  
>"Right... We need to talk though" She sighed as a tear formed in the corner of her eye.<br>"What about?" He asked as his voice began to crack.  
>"I-I can't do this anymore..." She croaked.<br>"What?" Miyagi asked.  
>"This" She said, gesturing with her hand between the two of them. "Me and you."<br>"W-What's brought this on?" Miyagi asked in a slight panic.  
>"Things..." She sighed.<br>"What things?!" Miyagi yelled. The passing students began to stare at the couple.  
>"Don't make a scene" She remarked as she began to grow angry.<br>"You're kidding right?" He laughed. "We've been together for 4 years and suddenly you want out and I'm not allowed to make a scene?!" Miyagi shouted as more students began to look on at them. Yuki sighed and began walking away as Miyagi followed. They came to an alleyway which sat behind several houses. There was no one around to be seen.  
>"Just stop okay? Calm down." Yuki said. Miyagi took a deep breath as he looked away from her. Shaking his head he turned back to face her.<br>"I don't understand, what's happened?" He asked. Yuki sighed heavily as she began to speak.  
>"I wasn't going to tell you until everything was for definite." She said.<br>"Tell me what?"  
>"I-I'm moving away..." She stated. Miyagi went quiet.<br>"Why?"  
>"College... For college. I'm moving to America." She sighed. "Everything's paid for; the only thing I have to worry about is food expenses." She smiled.<br>"So... So, that means that you don't want to be together anymore?" Miyagi asked.  
>"It will be too hard, you know that." She stated, wiping her eye. "We haven't been as close lately, this shouldn't come as such a surprise."<br>"We haven't been as close because of you." He replied.  
>"And now you know why..." Yuki sighed. Miyagi looked down as he began to twiddle his thumbs.<br>"But, I don't want to break up, we can't."  
>"It's not your decision to make."<br>"Well it isn't yours either." He retorted. Yuki shook her head.  
>"I have to do this, it's for the best." She stated. Miyagi looked at her as his eyes went teary. He nodded his head slowly as Yuki kissed him on the cheek. She began to walk away from him as he called out.<br>"Yuki..." He said, she turned around to look at him. "What we had was love... Right?" He asked. She stared at him for a moment, looking into his blue eyes. She didn't say a word; she merely smiled and walked away. "It must have been" He muttered to himself. Miyagi stood there, looking on at her with the air of a man confronted by an unsolvable enigma.

Mr. Miyagi looked to Juni and Kumiko as he finished his story. They were sharing a worried gaze.  
>"I'm sorry that happened to you." Ushio uttered. Miyagi shrugged his shoulders.<br>"As I said, relationships are tested." He said. "I've been told the two of you are heading to England?" He stated, looking back to Juni and Kumiko.  
>"That's right sir" Juni nodded. Miyagi gave him a smile.<br>"Just make the rest of your time here count, make the most of it all." He said, giving a thumbs up as he made for the exit "Merry Christmas" he added as he left the six students behind in the reference room. When the man had gone, Ushio looked over to Kaito who held a blank expression on his face.

The bell rang as the last day of the semester came to an end. "Right guys, that's it for this semester, have a good break" Mr. Miyagi smiled. The students began to rise from their seats as Mayumi Hiroshima came over to Kaito's desk.  
>"Hey" She said as she twirled a long strand of dark hair in her fingers. Kaito's head rose up from its slumped position.<br>"Hi" He said with a slight yawn.  
>"What are you doing for Christmas?" She asked, attempting to make conversation with the boy.<br>"Not much, you?"  
>"My grandmother is coming over; she just got back from visiting China." She smiled.<br>"I see." He nodded. Yumi and Takeshi looked on at their friend, waiting for him to finish his conversation. Mayumi noticed to the two of them looking over.  
>"Oh, are your friends waiting?" She asked.<br>"Probably, for some reason they can't leave the building without me." Kaito laughed.  
>"Okay, well this is for you" Mayumi smiled as she handed him a piece of paper.<br>"What's this?" He asked.  
>"Why don't you open it?" She suggested, he did so and on the paper lay a group of single digits. "It's my phone number." She smiled.<br>"Oh..."  
>"Yeah, just give me a call if you want to hang out over the break." She said. Kaito nodded.<br>"Erm, yeah sure" He smiled. She returned the smile.  
>"Well, have a nice Christmas!" She said as she turned and exited the room. Takeshi and Yumi came over to him.<br>"Well, well, well. A ladies ma-" Takeshi began before he felt a sharp poke in his back. He quickly went quiet.  
>"Well, are we going?" Yumi asked.<br>"Sure" Kaito nodded as they all left the classroom to go and meet their friends.

Kaito stood in his kitchen. He had just placed a ready to eat meal into his unstable microwave. As the machine rang, alerting him that the meal was ready to eat, he opened it and brought it out. "A Christmas miracle" He chuckled as he looked at the thoroughly cooked meal. In the living room sat his grandmother. She was dressed up in a stylish blue cardigan along with a pair of formal trousers. Kaito had dished out the meal onto a plate as he brought out a tray. He went into the living room as he placed the tray of food besides his grandmother. Sitting down next to her her produced a Christmas cracker. "Merry Christmas gran" He smiled. She looked at him with a lost gaze yet she managed to nod at the boy. Instead of popping the cracker he carefully tore it open, as not to frighten his grandmother. He pulled out a golden paper crown and placed it on her head.  
>"Prin..." She muttered as she began to lose her words.<br>"Sure, a princess" Kaito smiled. The woman nodded as she began to utter a phrase.  
>"My boy... You... You're my boy" She said. Kaito froze as he looked at his grandmother's face. She looked so innocent, as if she had been stripped of all responsibility and had been given the mentality of a child; this was not far from the truth. Kaito found himself again as he smiled weakly.<br>"I'm your boy" He mumbled as a tear fell down his cheek.  
>"My..." She sighed. Kaito nodded as he scooped out some food with a plastic spoon. Blowing on it and placing his palm beneath it, he brought it up to his grandmother's mouth. She opened up as he began to feed her like a small child.<br>"Merry Christmas" He sighed as she swallowed the contents of the spoon. Suddenly a knock came from the front door. Placing the spoon down he spoke to his grandmother. "I'll be right back." He smiled as she nodded. He walked over, through the living room to the hallway that led to the front door.

Opening the old door he saw five familiar faces as a festive tune began to fill the air. "_Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is white!_" A croaky voice sung.  
>"It's right Takeshi!" Yumi yelled as the five of them stopped singing.<br>"No it's not" He replied.  
>"I'm pretty sure it is right Keshi" Juni remarked.<br>"I actually thought it was white" Ushio stated.  
>"It's definitely right" Kumiko added.<br>"What's right? That's it white or that it's right?" Takeshi bellowed. Kaito let out a cough as they all turned to him. They wore an assortment of woolly clothes and fluffy jackets; despite the fact that it wasn't snowing they were definitely dressed for the weather. They all had a few bags in their hands.  
>"It's bright". Kaito stated. Takeshi shrugged his shoulders. "What are you all doing here?" Kaito asked. They all looked around to each other. Kumiko was the one to speak up.<br>"We remembered what you said earlier. We didn't want you to be alone today." She smiled. Kaito shook his head.  
>"No, you all have your families to spend today with." Kaito replied. Takeshi shook his head.<br>"Pal, our families have people to spend the day with, you don't."  
>"What are you saying?" Kaito asked.<br>"We want to spend Christmas with you and your grandmother Kaito." Yumi smiled. Kaito shook his head.  
>"No, I can't, she can't..." Kaito muttered. They all frowned at his words. "I don't want to ruin this day for you all because you feel sorry for me" He said as he began to shut the door, Juni placed his hand out, stopping him.<br>"Kaito, don't be like that, this isn't charity or pity or anything like that. Believe it or not, and I know how silly it sounds but, we're a family in one way or another." He said as Kaito pushed the door back open. Ushio nodded.  
>"We can't just let you be alone today... Besides, we've brought food and drinks." She laughed, holding up a bag.<br>"This was all Ushio's idea." Kumiko stated.  
>"It was?" Kaito asked.<br>"I thought about what Mr. Miyagi said today. We have to make these days count." Ushio smiled. Kaito smiled back at her.  
>"Okay..." He nodded as he gestured for them to come inside. As they made their way into the hallway they took of their shoes and coats. "Just, act normal." He said as they nodded.<p>

In the living room Kaito approached his grandmother. "Gran" He began "There's some people here to see us." Kaito smiled as his grandmother looked around the house. His friends came through into the living room. "You remember Juni and Keshi, right?" He asked as they waved at her.  
>"Oh yes..." She smiled. Kaito nodded.<br>"This is Yumi, Kumiko and Ushio." He said, pointing to the three girls.  
>"How lovely" His grandmother beamed, as she got up from her seat. Kaito edged towards her as she slowly walked over to Ushio.<br>"Gran..." He said as she grasped Ushio's hand. Ushio looked into her eyes and smiled.  
>"Are you her?" The old woman asked.<br>"Who?" Ushio wondered. Kaito's grandmother smiled and nodded.  
>"You're his" She smiled, pointing to her grandson. Ushio looked to Kaito who was rather speechless. He managed to shrug his shoulders as Ushio smiled at the lady.<br>"Okay Gran, come on" Kaito said, grabbing her by the shoulders as he gently walked back to the sofa. He sat her back down as Takeshi spoke.  
>"So, we'll be cooking dinner, if that's okay pal?" He stated, nodding towards Kumiko and Yumi.<br>"You sure?" Kaito asked. They all nodded at him and made their way into the kitchen. Juni and Ushio sat down on the sofa along with Kaito and his grandmother.  
>"Lovely." Kaito's grandmother smiled.<br>"Yeah gran, it's lovely that everyone has come to see you." Kaito nodded.  
>"What's your name?" Ushio asked, looking to the elderly woman.<br>"Oh, I forgot..." Kaito sighed. "Go ahead gran" He smiled. She looked to Ushio and she began to lose her words again.  
>"S-s-Sa..."<br>"You know" Kaito nodded.  
>"Sayu...Uri" She muttered.<br>"Sayuri" Kaito said.  
>"It's a lovely name" Ushio smiled as Sayuri nodded, grasping her hand yet again.<p>

"Thanks for doing this." Kaito said as Juni had gone to the bathroom.  
>"It's fine" Ushio smiled.<br>"No, honestly. It's been a while since she's had any visitors." He sighed.  
>"Well, I'm glad you're okay with this." She replied.<br>"Of course" He nodded.  
>"While we're alone" She began, looking over to Sayuri who sat in an old arm chair, she was curiously studying her paper crown. "Well, I just want to tell you... That if you ever need anythi-"<br>"Ushio..." Kaito interrupted.  
>"Kaito, please" She pleaded, he nodded, allowing her to speak.<br>"If you ever need anything; someone to talk to, a bit of help or even just a bit of company... Well I'm here okay?" She smiled. Kaito looked at her and let out a sigh.  
>"You really shouldn't waste your time with me." He replied.<br>"Don't say that" She said. "You always do that." She said, folding her arms. Kaito nodded.  
>"Okay" He began "Thank you."<p>

After cooking a turkey along with roast potatoes, brussel sprouts and the like, Takeshi, Yumi and Kumiko brought the plates of food into the living room. "What's all this?" Kaito asked as they placed it all on a small table.  
>"A traditional Christmas dinner" Kumiko smiled.<br>"It looks great." Juni stated.  
>"Well, the cookers on its last legs but we made do" Takeshi laughed. Kaito looked towards his grandmother.<br>"Time to eat" He smiled.  
>"Oh yes please" She beamed. They all sat around the small table, Ushio and Kaito sat at Sayuri's side.<br>"Thank you guys, this really means a lot... To both of us" Kaito smiled as he grasped his grandmother's hand.  
>"You're more than welcome" Yumi replied.<br>"Merry Christmas" Juni laughed as the others all raised a glass each in cheers. They began to eat the grand meal; Kaito fed his grandmother as he always did.  
>"You should eat something too" Ushio smiled. Kaito shook his head.<br>"I'll eat after." He replied.  
>"Why don't you let one of us take care of Sayuri." Ushio suggested, the others nodded.<br>"Yeah take a break man." Takeshi said. Kaito nodded.  
>"Are you okay to?" He asked, looking to Ushio.<br>"Yup" She said in a cheery tone. Kaito leaned over to his grandmother.  
>"Is it okay for Ushio to help you?" He asked. She looked at him for a moment and managed a little nod. Kaito handed Ushio a set of cutlery as she began to cut up Sayuri's meal. Taking a bite of the turkey Kaito gave thumbs up. "This is amazing!" He mumbled through his food as the others laughed.<p>

The hour was late as Kaito said goodbye to Juni. The others had left earlier, all except Ushio who had stayed behind to help out with Kaito's grandmother. Waving, Kaito shut the door and made his way into the living room. Ushio was clearing up the last of the plates. "Where's gran?" Kaito asked.  
>"Oh, she's in bed if you want to say goodnight." She smiled.<br>"Wait, you dressed her for bed?"  
>"Yeah."<br>"You helped her brush her teeth?"  
>"Yup" Ushio laughed.<br>"You did all that as I was saying goodbye to Juni?" He asked amazed. She nodded. "That was fast."  
>"Well, my granddad, on my dad's side, was ill before he died so my family and I spent time taking care of him from time to time." She smiled. "My mom said I took to it quite well."<br>"I see."  
>"Sayuri seemed to drift right off to sleep." Ushio added. Kaito nodded.<br>"I won't bother her then." He smiled.  
>"I should be going" Ushio said.<br>"Right, you're at your grandparent's house again aren't you?"  
>"Yep" She replied.<br>"Good" He said as they walked to his front door. Opening it let a cool breeze in. Ushio placed her woolly coat on and looked towards Kaito.  
>"I hope you had a nice day." She smiled. He nodded.<br>"Yes, thanks again Ushio." He replied, returning the smile. She stood there, looking up at him. As usual she stood just past his shoulders. As Kaito looked back at her the cold breeze came through the door again, feeling a shudder cross his spine he started to doze slightly. He was brought back to reality with the warmth of a body pressed against his own. Ushio had embraced him as she wrapped her arms around his waist.  
>"I'll see you later." She smiled. Kaito began to blush as he nodded at her words. She released him and headed off down the driveway and onto the street. She gave one look back as Kaito stood at the door; he still hadn't uttered a word. Ushio turned away and strolled along the path, counting the steps as she made her way down the road towards the Furukawa Bakery.<p>

**~*25*~**

_And we're back! Sorry for not posting for a while, I hope you read the little update, if so you would know why I haven't uploaded a chapter in a while. I should be back to doing one at least every week or so. We're officially half way through the first part of the story. If everything goes according to my plan there should be 50 chapters up until the characters graduate and leave for college. I'm really not happy with Chapter 26 at the moment, gonna revise it a bit. Anyways, stay tuned!_


	26. Meaningful Ways to Pass the Time

**~*26*~**

"And we're back" Takeshi said as he and his friends entered the reference room.  
>"Wow" Kaito mumbled "You're right Keshi that was sure worth the wait." He remarked as the others laughed at his comment. Takeshi stuck his tongue out at the boy.<br>"Whatever" He sighed as he moved over to one of the many filing cabinets, taking a seat on top. Ushio, Yumi, Kumiko, Juni and Kaito each took a seat in their usual spots as well.  
>"You know" Kumiko began; "We could go borrow a seat for you Takeshi" She laughed as she examined the fair haired boy who was perched on top of the metallic container.<br>"Nah, that's fine" Takeshi smiled. "To tell you the truth, I'm used to this thing."  
>"Meaning that you know your place?" Yumi grinned. Kaito scoffed at her words.<br>"Keshi wouldn't know his place if it smacked him straight in the face."  
>"That's true." Juni laughed. A shocked expression came over Takeshi's face.<br>"Juni man! You never take my side these days!" He bellowed.  
>"That's not true" Juni said, shaking his head. Takeshi was about to reply as Yumi cut the boy off.<br>"Ushio" She said, her friend looked up. "Are you okay?"  
>"Yeah" Ushio smiled.<br>"You do seem pretty quiet today" Kumiko stated. Juni nodded in agreement.  
>"I'm fine" She said, offering a weak smile again.<br>"Is laser tag still on?" Takeshi asked; Ushio nodded. "Sweet!" Takeshi grinned.  
>Kaito looked on at Ushio; she remained quiet as the others began to enter another topic of conversation, one that, for some reason, involved Takeshi's socks.<p>

Takeshi and Kaito stood by their traditional styled lockers. Slipping off his indoor shoes, Kaito placed them inside. He reached in and brought out his usual pair of outdoor shoes. "Just think" Takeshi began "Come April, we'll never have to switch shoes again." He laughed.  
>"Yeah man, it seems like all we do is change in and out of these things." Kaito replied in a sarcastic tone.<br>"I'm just saying." Takeshi sighed.  
>"As you always do."<br>"Uhuh... Kaito, do you know what was up with Ushio today?" Takeshi asked. Kaito looked up to face his friend.  
>"Why?"<br>"Well, you too have always been close, so I was wondering is all." Takeshi shrugged.  
>"Don't tell anyone" Kaito sighed. Takeshi made a cross sign over his chest.<br>"Cross my heart bro" He remarked. Kaito nodded.  
>"Something happened between us on Christmas Day."<br>"What?"  
>"It was weird, like totally out of the blue..." Kaito stated.<br>"Okay, what happened?" Takeshi asked, just then his eyes lit up. "Whoa, don't tell me that you two..." He began.  
>"<em>You two<em> what?" Kaito questioned. Takeshi raised an eyebrow.  
>"You know..."<br>"Dude, come on. You know she's not like that... at all."  
>"Okay! Just checking" He grinned, stretching an arm behind his head. Kaito shook his head in disapproval.<br>"Honestly man, we didn't do anything like that, she just hugged me."  
>"...A hug?" Takeshi asked, he wasn't very impressed.<br>"Yeah, it was weird though. I mean, we're friends and that's cool but I dunno; it was really weird." Kaito stated. Takeshi nodded as he looked over his friend, studying his face. "What?" Kaito asked.  
>"Do you like her?" Takeshi wondered. Kaito shook his head and patted his friend on the shoulder.<br>"No and stop thinking like that."  
>"If you say so" Takeshi shrugged.<br>"Has she said anything?"  
>"About?"<br>"About me?" Kaito asked.  
>"I dunno!" Takeshi laughed "We aint that close" He winked. Yet again, Kaito shook his head as the two of them walked out their school.<p>

"So what's happening tonight?" Youhei asked. Akio gave him an annoyed look.  
>"I told you already." He moaned. They were sat at the table in the Furukawa's kitchen; it was just the two of them. "We're having a little party, yanno you, me, the wives, the kids, the other kids, the punk."<br>"And Kotomi right?"  
>"Right" Akio nodded.<br>"Sounds good" Youhei replied.  
>"I know... It was my idea, of course it's good."<br>"Uhuh."

Upstairs, Ushio was being bombarded by Youhei and Tomoyo's son, Kenta. "Sushi!" He yelled.  
>"What is it Kenta?" She asked. She was sat at her desk, drawing a cityscape. Kenta was next to her, jumping up and down on Ushio's futon.<br>"Play!"  
>"Kenta, I told you not to get the futon out until bed time. It's not even bouncy" She sighed.<br>"Sushi!" Kenta yelled again.  
>"What?"<br>"Sushi, Sushi ya smell of poopie!" The little boy laughed. Ushio rolled her eyes at the child.  
>"It's U-shi-o, Kenta. For the one hundredth time."<br>"Okay Sushi!" He laughed. She let out a sigh as she checked her phone. She had received a text from Kaito. The conversation read 'Are you sure I didn't freak you out? - Ushio. Its fine Ushio, it didn't mean anything :). - Kaito'. Ushio sighed at his reply as she began to type on her phone. 'Right. Anyways, I hope you guys hurry up, Kenta won't stop bugging me.' She hit the send button. Truthfully, she had missed her uncle Youhei, aunt Tomoyo and Kotomi yet she had forgotten how much of a handful Kenta could be. "Who's Katty?" Kenta asked.  
>"Kenta, don't read over people's shoulders like that!" Ushio scolded.<br>"Who's Katty?"  
>"It's Kaito" She sighed "You know, the dark haired boy from my mom's birthday?"<br>"Katty, your boyfwend?" He asked. Ushio blushed.  
>"No, not at all, he's just a friend!" She said in a panic. Kenta leaped off of the futon and out of the door.<br>"I'mma tell Aki and daddy!" He laughed sticking his tongue out as he ran down the stairs. Ushio shot up from her seat as she ran after the boy.

"Yeah, I wont be around for that" Youhei stated.  
>"You sure? We're gonna get Ushio's friends in on it, we can knock them about in training" Akio laughed.<br>"I'm sure; we're leaving tomorrow after all. Besides, I'll come up and watch a game sometime" He smiled. Suddenly Kenta came running down the stairs and jumped up onto his father's lap. "Woah kiddo!" Youhei laughed.  
>"Daddy! Sushi has a boyfwend!" Kenta yelled as Ushio entered the kitchen.<br>"A boyfriend?!" Akio cried.  
>"Aki wa-" Ushio began.<br>"It's Katty." Kenta interrupted. Youhei laughed at his son as Akio continued to overreact.  
>"No! Not Katty!" He yelled. "Wait, who the hells Katty?" Akio asked.<br>"It's nothing, just a game we were playing." She sighed.  
>"You sure you don't not have a boyfriend?" Akio asked.<br>"What?"  
>"You sure you don't not have a boyfriend?" He repeated. Ushio gave him a funny look as Youhei and Kenta looked on at them.<br>"No..." She replied.  
>"So you do!" Akio bellowed.<br>"No, you tricked me!" Ushio remarked.  
>"So you don't?" Youhei asked. Ushio shook her head.<br>"No" She stated. "I wouldn't tell you if I did." She said, looking to Akio.  
>"That makes it worse." Akio sighed. Suddenly the front door was heard. "Ah, the punks home."<br>"You promised mom you wouldn't call dad that" Ushio said, reminding the man.  
>"Promises promises" Akio smirked. Tomoya popped his head through the kitchen archway.<br>"Afternoon" He smiled.  
>"Hey buddy" Youhei replied, giving his friend a nod.<br>"Dad, Aki is being mean to me" Ushio complained. Akio let out a laugh.  
>"What else is new?" Tomoya teased as Ushio folded her arms, looking to Kenta she stuck her tongue out at him.<br>"I got a proposition for ya." Akio stated as he looked to Tomoya.  
>"Well, lay it on me old man." Tomoya laughed as he took off his jacket.<br>"You enjoy the odd game of soccer, correct?" Akio asked. Tomoya nodded.  
>"Every now and again."<br>"Right, well. Yusuke and I have decided to put together a five a side team, Kappei's in as well." Akio stated.  
>"What about you?" Tomoya asked, looking over to Youhei.<br>"Won't be here buddy" Youhei sighed.  
>"Fair enough" Tomoya nodded.<br>"Anyways, that's three. I was thinking of getting those kids Ushio brought over, what are their names again?" Akio asked Ushio.  
>"Kaito, Takeshi and Juni by any chance?" She replied, raising an eyebrow.<br>"Yeah, those punks. Plus you that makes seven" He concluded turning to Tomoya. Tomoya placed his hand towards his face as he rubbed the stubble on his chin.  
>"Aki, you do know that you have seven players for a five a side team, right?" Ushio laughed.<br>"You always need a few subs." Youhei replied.  
>"Oh, right" Ushio said, looking to Kenta he grinned at her. "Are you going to play Kenta?" Ushio asked yet the boy merely folded his arms at Ushio's question.<br>"Sure" Tomoya finally said "Why not."  
>"Awesome!" Akio bellowed. "And thus, the origin of the greatest soccer team began!" He roared as the others groaned at his excitement. "Right, Ushio. You need to tell your friends that we need them."<br>"Need them?" Youhei laughed.  
>"Wait! That we are offering them this opportunity!" Akio said, correcting himself.<br>"Okay... But why not just ask them tonight?" She questioned.  
>"Oh yeah, I suppose I could!" Akio laughed.<br>"You don't really think these things through do you?" Ushio sighed as her father placed his arm around her, giving her a hug.  
>"Where's your mom?" He asked.<br>"She, Sanae, Tomoyo and Kotomi have all gone shopping." Ushio smiled.  
>"I see." Tomoya nodded "Are they coming?"<br>"You bet!" Akio roared "I'm calling Tomoyo, that girl can really shoot those lasers!"  
>"What?" Youhei asked, a grin came across his face.<br>"I think we should draw names for the teams." Ushio suggested. "It's only fair."  
>"That's a good idea" Tomoya agreed.<br>"Fine!" Akio sulked as the others laughed at him.

"So what's so good about laser tag?" Kaito asked as he, Juni, Takeshi, Yumi and Kumiko made their way towards Ushio's home.  
>"You've never been?" Yumi asked.<br>"Nope" Stated Kaito.  
>"I haven't either" Kumiko added.<br>"Me neither" Juni laughed. Takeshi scratched his head.  
>"I think I've been once, I don't really remember much though."<br>"You're kidding?!" Yumi bellowed, coming to a halt. The others stopped beside her as they shook their heads at her. "Laser tag is awesome!" She laughed raising her fist into the air.  
>"Sure..." Kaito said, raising an eyebrow. As they came to Ushio's house they saw a group of people outside.<br>"Hey!" Ushio waved as her friends came into view. She was stood outside with her family. Her friends smiled as they made their way over, greeting the others.  
>"Right, everyone's here!" Akio bellowed.<br>"That's right" Sanae nodded, finishing a head count. Tomoya grinned at Akio.  
>"Ready for me to kick your ass old man?" He asked, the others began to laugh.<br>"Hey, I came third last time! Tomoyo still beat you." He replied.  
>"Yeah, but you lost to Tomoya" Tomoyo began "That's just pathetic." Tomoya gave her an annoyed look as she laughed.<br>"Have you ever played?" Kotomi asked Nagisa as the others continued their trash talking.  
>"Only once, I wasn't very good" She laughed.<br>"Then that makes two of us." Kotomi smiled.  
>"Yeah well, we don't have to worry about solo games today! It's teams!" Akio stated in reply to one of Tomoya's comments. Suddenly a large yellow bus pulled up outside the house as a man called out of it.<br>"Furukawa party?" He asked.  
>"That's us!" Akio roared as the man laughed.<br>"Hop in!" He smiled. They all entered the large bus, taking their seats. Kaito took a seat next to Takeshi.  
>"Its teams... I got your back man." Takeshi said, winking.<br>"Who knows, we may be enemies for the day" Kaito laughed.  
>"Then I'll own you" Takeshi grinned.<br>"Yeah man, we'll see." Kaito retorted. Akio stood up.  
>"Everyone here?" He asked without giving them a chance to reply. "Right, okay. Let's get out of here and have one hell of a time!" He yelled. No one made a sound. Akio turned to the driver. "Just go." He said as they began to set off for their game of laser tag. Akio looked out of the window as the town passed by. The bus began to fill with the chatter of it's passengers as Akio smiled, he hoped that this would be a meaningful way to pass the time.<p>

**~*26*~**

_Really short one I know. I'm having trouble writing this chapter so I've decided to make it a two parter in order for me to have more time to work on the second half, it will also, hopefully, hold those of you over who have been waiting for a new chapter. I really want these two chapters to be fun, simply because the ones that follow will start to go back to more of a serious 'drama' tone. So yeah, in regards to my lack of updates sorry again. Things have been quite hectic but everything should be going smoothly from now on. So, expect more chapters soon! I promise! :-)_


	27. Roses are Red, Violets are Blue

**~*27*~**

"I never thought it would end like this" Takeshi stated as he wiped the sweat off his forehead with his left hand, his right still grasped his gun.  
>"This may be the end for us, but Juni is still alive" Kaito replied as he kept his arms extended, holding out his gun which was pointed directly at Takeshi.<br>"I'll take you out, then Tomoyo can handle Juni, he won't make it."  
>"We'll see about that" Kaito scoffed. "Now raise your gun Keshi" He ordered, nodding towards the weapon. Takeshi raised his right arm, locking his aim on Kaito.<br>"I'll see you in hell!" Takeshi yelled as he squeezed the guns trigger, sending a bright darting light out of the end of it which headed straight for Kaito.

* * *

><p>"I wanna play!" Kenta cried as he and Sanae sat at a table. They were in a well lit room, a counter lay to the left side which held a cash register, a man was stood behind it. The opposite side of the room there were a few large TV screens on its wall; they displayed footage of several dark hallways and structures. The room also held a few old arcade games and computers. "Please daddy!"<br>"Look Kenta, the guy said you were too small. It'll be way too dark for you and you might get hurt." Youhei replied, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "Maybe next year" He smiled.  
>"Besides, you get to stay here with Sanae and watch us on the big screens." Tomoyo added, pointing to the large televisions on the wall behind them. Sanae smiled at the boy as Kenta folded his arms in a sulk. "Also, I think Sanae has brought some of her cookies" Tomoyo said as she tickled her son's nose. The boy began to laugh as he cheered up.<br>"Okay" He smiled. Sanae handed him a cookie as he began to devour it, after a few seconds he placed his hand out for another. Tomoya leant in toward Nagisa as he whispered in her ear.  
>"Wow, I'm surprised Kenta loves those cookies so much."<br>"Yeah, for some reason he loves mom's baking" She laughed.  
>"What's up with her baking?" Takeshi asked as he looked towards Ushio. She looked up to her parents as they laughed.<br>"It's best that you don't find out" Ushio grinned. Takeshi nodded at Ushio, blissfully unaware of Sanae's horrendous baking, to be fair, she had improved over the years... Slightly.

The twelve of them all sat in the dark waiting room, Akio, Tomoya, Nagisa, Tomoyo, Youhei, Kotomi, Ushio, Kaito, Kumiko, Takeshi, Yumi and Juni. They were waiting to be escorted into the large arena in which their laser tag game would be held. A door opened as a large man strolled in. He had a long bushy beard and greasy hair; his skin had several blemishes as well. Takeshi gave a strange look to Kaito and Juni, they merely shrugged in reply. "Hey Akio" The large man grinned as he realised who his customer was.  
>"Hey Katashi, how's it going?" Akio asked.<br>"A lot better since the lot of you came in, business has been slow yanno?"  
>"Yeah, I get ya" Akio nodded. The large man placed his hand on a small console on the wall as a screen lit up, it too was attached to the wall.<br>"Right, for starters, you each gotta put in your name." He said. They did as such; one by one they entered their names into the console. Juni was the last to type his name in, when finished he returned to his seat. "Teams right?" Katashi asked as his gaze was locked on the screen.  
>"Yep, two, base capture, 4 lives" Akio replied.<br>"This is fun right?" Juni whispered as Yumi looked towards him with a grin. Katashi entered the details and pressed another button. The screen began to sort the names at random as a grid popped up. There were two columns titled 'Red' and 'Blue'. Underneath the red column there were six names: Akio, Juni, Kaito, Kotomi, Kumiko and Nagisa. The blue column also had six names: Takeshi, Tomoya, Tomoyo, Ushio, Youhei and Yumi.  
>"Guess were not on the same team" Takeshi said as Kaito nodded.<br>"These are the rules. Two teams, Red vs Blue. The goal is to capture the other team's base. You do this by entering their base, on the ceiling there will be a blue circle if it's the blue base, a red one if it's red base. Shoot the circle 5 times and the base will be captured. Of course, you guys will both be out trying to get to the others base, it won't be so easy since you be in crossfire. There are plenty of structures and small mazes, barrels and stuff to duck behind, so yeah, it aint easy. You've also got 4 lives each, which means, you get shot 4 times and you're out of the game. When you get shot, you have to run back to your base to get your next life, the red sensor will connect to your armour and it'll give you another life. It's a best out of three. If one team wins twice in a row, they win but you still get to play the third game for fun." He concluded, taking a deep breath. "That all sound good?"  
>"Sure does!" Akio bellowed "You're going down punk!" He yelled, facing Tomoya.<br>"Dad! How many times?" Nagisa scolded as Tomoya grabbed her hand.  
>"You're on his team" He chuckled.<br>"Oh, right." She laughed.  
>"Still, old man! Prepare to face defeat!" Tomoya roared as the others laughed. Akio went red as Katashi interrupted.<br>"Right, save it for the arena. Red team, take the left door to get your armour and weapons. There's another door through there, take that to get to your base. Blue team, same for you, right door. Once you are all inside your bases they'll be a count down of 10 seconds, then the game begins. I suggest making a strategy before hand." He laughed. "There's sensors on the armour, they get hit, you lose a life. Friendly fire is also on, so watch out for that. Good luck." He smiled as they all entered through their separate door ways.

The red team were all suited up in their plastic chest plates. They were mainly black with 3 red sensors, one on the back and two on the front. Akio stood front and centre as the rest of his team surrounded him. "Right" He began "I know this place like the back of my hand." He stated proudly.  
>"Well, I hope you have a plan" Kotomi smiled.<br>"Course I have a plan" Akio grinned. "Red base is a small air bunker, its ground level. That doesn't allow us the advantage of the higher ground yet there is one good thing."  
>"What's that?" Kaito asked.<br>"There's only one way in and out, one archway. It isn't that big either so it's rather easy to defend if two of us guard from outside. There are a couple of barrels in front of the bunker so I say two of us defend there." He turned to Nagisa and Kumiko. "You think you two can handle that?" He asked.  
>"I've never played before" Kumiko stated.<br>"None of us have" Kaito laughed. Nagisa smiled at Kumiko, she then looked towards her father.  
>"Don't worry dad, we'll handle it."<br>"Good." He nodded. "Okay, redhead, Kotomi." He said looking to Juni and Kotomi.  
>"Nice nickname" Kaito laughed as Juni rolled his eyes.<br>"You to go in mid field defence, me and Ushio's boyfriend here will go upfront in attack." He stated.  
>"I'm not her boyfriend." Kaito replied.<br>"Sure and I aint a maturely buff body builder." Akio jested.  
>"You're not." Nagisa smiled. Akio shrugged her off.<br>"Anyway, Kotomi, in the middle of the arena, there's a small maze with three exits. You need to be in there, the back exit let's you oversee more ground so stay around that one. You'll be able to see anyone who goes inside that maze and any who goes past it."  
>"That's sound simple enough." She nodded.<br>"Red head" Akio said.  
>"I'd prefer Juni" Juni stated.<br>"Fine, Juni, Kotomi will be able to see over to the left of the arena. That means you're covering right. There's a long hallway at the edge, there's two windows down its side so you can shoot through those if anyone passes. Keep moving up and down it though, someone might break through so you're gonna need to take them out."  
>"Okay, I think I can handle it." Akio nodded.<br>"Right kid, you and me are up front. No splitting up. You cover my back, I cover yours. We make our way to Blue's base. It's a small castle, they have the higher ground. No doubt they'll place one or two of their guys on top to snipe us." Akio sighed. "That damn Tomoyo knows her stuff when it comes to planning; she probably saw the layout of this place before we came. She'll no doubt have a plan."  
>"I'm sure we can handle her" Kaito smiled.<br>"Right kid" Akio grinned; he placed his hand out as the others looked at him. He nodded towards his out stretched hand. They all placed their hands on top of each other. "On the count of three. One, two, three!" They each threw their hands in the the air as Akio shouted "Red team!" He looked to the others, they said nothing. Akio let out a sigh. "Right let's go" He said as he dragged himself through the door that lead into the arena.

A voice came over a loud speaker as the red team stood inside their base. "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, START!" Suddenly the entire arena lit up with florescent lights, green, pink and blue spread across it highlighting the various structures.  
>"Positions!" Akio yelled as Kumiko and Nagisa took their spot behind the barrels that lay outside of the bunker. Kotomi rushed off to her left as she passed a hallway, down it lay the maze that she would take charge of. She stood at the back exit, her gun was held up to her chest. Juni made for the hallway to the right that he would defend. Inside he sat at one of the windows, looking out towards a window in a small room, <em>someone may take that position<em>, he thought to himself, _better keep my eyes peeled_. He saw Akio and Kaito slowly making their way past Nagisa and Kumiko. His eyes met Kumiko's as she gave him a smile. "Blue base has two entrances, ones a spiral stair case the others a regular one. We'll split when we reach it." Akio stated, suddenly a laser shot passed his head. Kaito darted behind a wall as Akio followed. He peered his head out to see Tomoya, a grin was spread across his face.  
>"Bring it old man!" Tomoya yelled. Akio and Kaito were lent against the wall, taking cover from Akio's son-in-law.<br>"That punk" He muttered. Akio peered out from behind the wall, Tomoya was gone. "Kid, go down to the end of this hallway, keep an eye out. I'll stay here; I think the punk is close by still." Akio said with a nod. Kaito slowly made his way down to the end of the wall as he raised his gun, pointing it around the corner. When he looked in the direction of his gun he saw a familiar face. Ushio was knelt behind a pair of barrels as she perched her gun on top of them. Kaito took aim and let out a bolt as it struck one of Ushio's sensors. She shot up with a cry. Looking around she found her culprit.  
>"Kaito?!" She yelled. Kaito winked at her, unbeknownst to him Ushio had just alerted Takeshi who was stood on the other side of Kaito's wall. He dashed around and came up behind Kaito. Hearing footsteps Kaito shot around and was met with a laser which hit a sensor on his chest.<br>"Damn" He sighed as Takeshi laughed. Kaito began to rush back to his base so he could get another life. He passed Akio on the way. "Thanks for the help."  
>"I'm in the middle of something!" Akio shouted as he traded shots with Tomoya who stood at the other end of the arena.<p>

A while later Tomoyo had just shot Akio, the last standing member of the red team, leaving blue team with one victory. The score was 0-1. Akio sneered at Tomoyo. "All part of the plan! Now we know your strategy!" He laughed.

"We don't know their strategy!" Akio cried as the red team were taking a rest back in the changing room.  
>"Don't worry; I'll do better at guarding this time." Juni said shrugging his shoulders.<br>"It was me, I didn't see Ushio coming." Kumiko sighed.  
>"Look, it's no one's fault." Kaito stated, standing up as all eyes fell on him. "We just need to be more wide spread." He stated.<br>"Whatcha talkin' about kid?" Akio asked.  
>"Akio, you're the best on our team, maybe you should defend." Kaito suggested.<br>"But I'm an attacker!" Akio yelled.  
>"Dad, just hear his plan out okay?" Nagisa said, looking to Kaito she smiled, indicating him to proceed.<br>"Akio, if you defend then we can bring Nagisa and Kumiko up. Nagisa, you can take Kotomi's place in the maze. Kumiko, you can stay with Juni, there's two windows in that hallway and two entrances so keep your eyes peeled." They both nodded. "Kotomi, we'll go on the attack together, I saw you take out Yumi in the last game, she's pretty good so I could use you." He said.  
>"If you think I can help." Kotomi smiled. Kaito nodded.<br>"We won't split up though, when we reach the barrels where Ushio was we'll take cover. Then, Juni, Kumi-Chan" He smiled. "I'm gonna need you guys to move up the front window, try and take out Keshi and Youhei, they were guarding the entrances to the base, they also had Tomoya sniping on top after he took Akio out for the first time."  
>"Don't remind me" Akio sighed. "Well, kid, it sounds like a decent plan. It can't hurt right?"<br>"Right" Kaito nodded.

"On your left!" Kotomi yelled as Kaito spun around and let out a shot that hit an unsuspecting Yumi in the back.  
>"Cheap shot!" She moaned as she made her way back to the base.<br>"Thanks" Kaito nodded, Kotomi nodded back. They soon found their way to the barrels. Kneeling down behind them a few shots were fired as they deflected off of the top of the barrels.  
>"Youhei is on the castle wall" Kotomi stated. Kaito looked over to his left as he back up against the barrel.<br>"Juni!" He yelled, as the red headed boy looked up through the window Kaito pointed up to the castle. Looking up, Juni was was hit with a laser bolt as his suit deactivated. Juni grabbed Kumiko's arm as he pulled her out of sight.  
>"Juni, you're dead!" She cried "...Well kind of." She smiled. Juni nodded.<br>"Take out Ushio's uncle on top of the wall; watch out for Keshi, I'm pretty sure he's around here." He stated. She nodded at his words. Wishing her good luck Juni made his way back to the base and out to the waiting room. Kumiko peered out through the window. Her eyes landed on Kaito and Kotomi they were still knelt down behind the barrels. Kaito motioned to her; she looked up to see Youhei shooting down on the two of them. He was distracted, now was her chance. Kumiko fired a laser out of her gun, it reached up to Youhei and flew past his head. Kumiko cursed under her breath as Youhei turned to fire on her. She looked to Kaito and gave him a thumbs up as she ran out of the hall way, taking Youhei's gaze away from Kaito and Kotomi.  
>"Kotomi, let's move, we'll go up the spiral staircase." Kaito said; Kotomi nodded. They made a run for it, hopping over the barrels and running up towards the stairs. Down a hallway to the left Takeshi opened fire on the two of them. As Kaito ducked out of the way, Kotomi was hit on one of her sensors. "No!" Kaito yelled as he let out a bolt from his gun which made contact with Takeshi, taking out his last life.<br>"Damn it!" Takeshi moaned.  
>"We're out right?" Kotomi smiled.<br>"Yeah, good job though." Kaito smiled. Kotomi nodded as she and Takeshi made their way out of the arena together. Kaito stood there up against the hallway wall. He began to wonder what had happened to Kumiko, was she out of the game? He didn't know. He moved over to his left and slowly made his way up the spiral stair case. Reaching the top, he saw Youhei peering over the castle wall. Just then a figure came up the opposite staircase, it was Kumiko. Kaito managed to get her attention. He began to motion to her as Kumiko nodded. He made a count down with his hands. '3, 2, 1' Kaito let out a large roar as Youhei turned to face him, from behind Kumiko let out several shots which managed to hit Youhei's sensors, deactivating his suite. He tried to shoot the incoming Kaito yet it was to no avail. Kaito ran into the centre of the base, raising their guns up he and Kumiko repeatedly shot the blue circle on the ceiling, ending the game with a victory to the red team.

"Yeah!" Akio roared as he and the others saw the final moments of the game on the screen in the waiting room. He looked to Tomoyo. "You guys have got nothing on this kid!"  
>"We'll see." Tomoyo smirked. She and the rest of the blue team made their way to their changing rooms to get ready for the final game.<br>"I didn't like that face she made" Akio sighed. Nagisa let out a laugh.  
>"Don't worry, as long as you don't make up a new nickname for her, she should be fine."<br>"Yeah" Akio sighed. Kaito and Kumiko entered the waiting room.  
>"Great job you two!" Nagisa beamed, Kaito blushed slightly.<br>"It was nothing, if it weren't for Kumiko we never would've won."  
>"You did great" Juni smiled.<br>"So did you" Kumiko nodded.  
>"I suppose..." Juni sighed. Kaito looked on at his friends as Akio began to panic.<br>"I know Tomoyo is gonna have something up her sleeve, I know it!" He yelled.  
>"Don't worry" Kaito said, keeping his gaze on Juni "I have a plan."<p>

"Who do you want to win the next game?" Sanae asked Kenta as he stuffed his face with more of her cookies.  
>"D..ddy te-m!" He mumbled.<br>"I'm sure he'll do great" She smiled as Kenta nodded. They returned their gaze to the screens as the next match was about to begin.

"Tomoya, Ushio take mid defence. Cover the hallway that Junichiro was covering last match, he'll most likely be there again. Take him out. Takeshi, keep doing what you're doing." Tomoyo stated.  
>"Right!" Takeshi nodded.<br>"We gonna be going for the attack?" Youhei asked, placing an arm around his wife.  
>"Sweetie, no offence but you're terrible." Tomoyo replied.<br>"What?!" Youhei cried.  
>"It's true pal." Tomoya nodded. Youhei folded his arms.<br>"Fine, guess I'll do what I do." He muttered.  
>"Good, Yumi, you'll come with on the attack, we'll take the right side essentially covering it at the same time." Tomoyo said.<br>"Sounds good" Yumi grinned.  
>"Everybody ready?" Tomoyo asked, they all nodded, except for Youhei. "Youhei, are you ready?" She asked with a smile.<br>"Yep" He mumbled.  
>"You're good at other things sweetie" She laughed.<br>"Let's just play!" He groaned as he entered the arena, opening the door that lead to their base.

"You each only have two lives for the last match!" Katashi yelled over the speakers. "Beginning the count down now!" Kaito stood there as the count down came over the speakers. He hoped his plan would work, would he be able to counter Tomoyo? He knew she would change things up for the last game. '3, 2, 1!' The red team exited their base. Kumiko and Kotomi took to the defence, kneeling behind the barrels that sat outside of the bunker. Nagisa made for the small maze, taking to the rear she leant against the wall, watching her left and right for any passerby's. Juni and Akio made their way up the arena, hiding behind walls as they went along, they were on the attack. Kaito made his way towards the hallway which Juni would usually occupy. He kept on his toes, looking out for an enemy.

Tomoyo and Yumi walked down towards the maze. Tomoyo stopped in her tracks. As she grabbed Yumi she pulled her around a wall. "What is it?" Yumi asked. Tomoyo pointed towards the maze, she saw Nagisa standing guard. "Let's take her out." Yumi suggested.  
>"If we do, we'll alert anyone else near by. Akio will be around here somewhere."<br>"Then what do we do?" Yumi asked.  
>"You make for the red base. I'll go around to the other side of the maze; I'll take Nagisa out there, that'll give you enough time to slip through unnoticed." She nodded.<br>"Right" Yumi replied.

Ushio and Tomoya made towards the hallway, they hadn't realised that Kaito had taken up the post there. Hearing the sound of footsteps Kaito stayed quiet. On the other side of the wall Tomoya gestured to Ushio. She nodded as she proceeded to move over to the bottom entrance of the hallway, Tomoya took to the top. Kaito laid down on his stomach, gun raised, nearly invisible in the darkness.

Youhei was looking over the castle wall, holding his gun out as a sniper. He looked down to his left to see Takeshi guarding the left staircase. He gave him a nod as Takeshi replied with an 'okay' sign. Youhei looked out towards the maze, noticing movement he steadied his gun. He saw Tomoyo making her way around towards the back of the maze. Suddenly a figure shot around to the front as one followed behind, it was Nagisa and Tomoyo. Youhei quickly squeezed his trigger yet Nagisa was too quick. She slipped past the bolt of light as it found another target, Tomoyo. Tomoyo suit lit up as it deactivated. She cursed, looking around she saw who had shot her. Youhei was looking down at her yelling his apologies. Thus, the first shot was fired.

Tomoya entered through the top entrance as Kaito let out his shot, hitting Tomoya he rolled over onto his stomach as he came face to face with Ushio. She raised her gun yet she was too slow, Kaito had already let out his second shot as her suit shutdown. "You're good kid." Tomoya laughed.  
>"Really good" Ushio sighed. Kaito grinned as the two of them slumped back to their base to collect their second and last life. He must be a natural, Ushio thought, after all Kaito had never played before, right?<p>

A while later the game was nearing its end. Kotomi and Kumiko had been taken out by Yumi; the red team had lost their line of defence. Yumi had been shot by Akio; Nagisa had finally been taken down by Youhei, after many attempts and Ushio, along with Tomoya had both attempted to get revenge on Kaito which only lead to their failure. This had left three members on each team. Red team now consisted of Kaito, Juni and Akio. The Blue team had Tomoyo, Youhei and Takeshi left. Each only had one life left, things were getting tense. Kaito had moved to defend the bunker as Juni and Akio remained up front. Takeshi remained in his usual place as Tomoyo had taken towards the maze. Youhei stayed in his sniping position. He was trading shots with Akio and Juni as they stayed behind a set of barrels. Takeshi had also joined the fight. Shots darted back and forth as Juni popped up from behind the barrels, he opened fire on Youhei. Youhei though back to his conversation earlier - _"We gonna be going for the attack?" "Sweetie, no offence but you're terrible." "What?!" "It's true pal." "Fine, guess I'll do what I do."_ - Youhei rose up from behind the castle wall. "Tomoyo!" He yelled "I will prove you wrong!" Suddenly a bolt of light hit his chest, deactivating his suit.  
>"Got 'im! I got 'im!" Juni beamed.<br>"Great, kid. Don't get cocky!" Akio remarked. Youhei let out a sigh.  
>"Well, guess I'm out, Takeshi, if you can hear me, it's up to you!" Youhei left through the door of his base. Tomoyo made for the castle, moving into defence. Running past Juni and Akio she heard the red haired man yelling at her.<br>"Not so fast Tomoyo-Girly!" Akio roared. Tomoyo spun around, her gun was raised and her face was red with rage.  
>"Don't give me weird nicknames!" She yelled as she opened fire. Multiple shots left her gun as Juni ducked down. Akio attempted to summersault over the beams. Jumping in the air he fell flat on his face as Tomoyo's shots met the back of his body armour. Rising up from the floor Akio knelt on his knees. Raising his arms up in the air he began he let out another roar.<br>"No!" He yelled as Tomoyo ran over to the spiral staircase and yup towards the castle walls. Turning to Juni, who was still knelt behind a barrel, Akio spoke. "Good luck kid." He said as he made for the bunker. Kaito ran up towards Juni as he gestured for him to follow. They entered the long hallway as they crouched underneath one of the windows.  
>"Tomoyo is on top of the castle" Juni stated, catching his breath.<br>"Takeshi disappeared" Kaito replied. Suddenly they heard a voice.  
>"Kaito, Juni! Come out and face me!" It was Takeshi.<br>"Juni, listen. I'll go out and distract hi-"  
>"You can't sacrifice yourself for me!" Juni interrupted.<br>"Dude, Tomoyo is still defending that castle. We can't get up the left stair case, Takeshi is guarding it. One of us needs to distract him while the other makes a run for the spiral stair case." Kaito explained.  
>"But why me? You should go for it, you're better than me I-"<br>"Juni, you need this. You need a win." Kaito nodded. Juni went quiet as Kaito smiled.  
>"Alright" He sighed "Good luck." Juni smiled. Kaito put out his hand as Juni shook it.<br>"See you on the other side pal" He replied. Kaito got up as Takeshi could still be heard calling for them to come out. "Count to 20 then make a break for it." Kaito ordered, Juni nodded. Kaito exited the hallway as he came face to face with Takeshi.

They stood there as an eerie silence filled the room. "I never thought it would end like this" Takeshi stated as he wiped the sweat off his forehead with his left hand, his right still grasped his gun.  
>"This may be the end for us, but Juni is still alive" Kaito replied as he kept his arms extended, holding out his gun which was pointed directly at Takeshi.<br>"I'll take you out, then Tomoyo can handle Juni, he won't make it."  
>"We'll see about that" Kaito scoffed. "Now raise your gun Keshi" He ordered, nodding towards the weapon. Takeshi raised his right arm, locking his aim on Kaito.<br>"I'll see you in hell!" Takeshi yelled as he squeezed the guns trigger, sending a bright darting light out of the end of it which headed straight for Kaito. Kaito ducked under as he rolled forwards. Jumping up he fired upon Takeshi. Takeshi did the same as light began to fill the room. Two shots slipped by one another as they each hit their target. Both Takeshi and Kaito's suits deactivated.  
>"Oh, come on!" Takeshi moaned.<br>"How is this even possible?" Kaito questioned. Takeshi began to laugh as Kaito joined him.  
>"That was pretty freaking sweet!" Takeshi beamed.<br>"It was awesome!" Kaito laughed. Two two headed for the exit leaving Juni and Tomoyo the only soldiers left out on the battle field.

Juni had reached the spiral stair case as he climbed up it. As he arrived at the top he saw Tomoyo leant against the castle wall; her gaze darted between the two stair cases. Looking over in his direction Juni ducked down, just missing her gaze. Juni began to mumble to himself. "Come on Juni, think." He said in a hushed tone. Suddenly an idea struck him. "Hang on a second." He uttered. "The bolts are essentially light... Light reflects off of reflective surfaces." He smiled, looking around he saw one of the florescent lights that covered the room. Around it lay a metallic covering. _PERFECT!_, he thought to himself. Juni popped his head around the corner to see Tomoyo's position. She noticed the red haired boy as she opened fire on him. Juni ducked back around. _Now or never Juni_, he thought to himself. Looking towards the metallic covering he saw Tomoyo's bright blue chest plate glowing in its reflection. Raising his gun towards it Juni squeezed his trigger as a bright light came out of the front of his gun. It flew towards the covering and bounced right back off, hitting the unaware Tomoyo in her chest.

"Juni, Juni, Juni!" The red team chanted as Akio handed him the small trophy their team was awarded. Tomoyo approached him as she put out her hand. Juni shook it.  
>"Good game." She smiled.<br>"To tell you the truth, it was scary up there; I didn't think I'd beat you." Juni laughed.  
>"It was smart, bouncing the light off the wall, good thinking." She nodded.<br>"Thanks" Juni smiled.  
>"Sorry I messed up so bad." Youhei frowned. Tomoyo kissed him on the cheek.<br>"Its fine" She laughed. "I'm glad you were here, next time you can come up front with me."  
>"You mean it?" He smiled.<br>"Only if you practice first" She laughed as Youhei nodded. Kenta tugged at his father's leg.  
>"Daddy, you did good" He nodded. Youhei picked him up as he hugged the boy, thanking him for the blatant lie. Takeshi and Kaito looked on at the others. Juni was being congratulated by Yumi, Ushio and Kumiko. Kumiko began to hug him.<br>"I never knew you were so good" Takeshi laughed.  
>"Guess I'm a natural" Kaito replied.<br>"It's good that you gave Juni this." Takeshi stated. "That you gave him a win."  
>"Yeah" Kaito nodded as a smile came across his face. They continued to look on as Kumiko still hugged Juni.<br>"My hero!" She beamed as Juni blushed.  
>"Alright everyone!" Akio yelled. "Same time next week?!" He roared as the others burst into laughter. Akio smiled, he had been right, it really was a meaningful way to pass the time.<p>

**~*27*~**


	28. Freedom Is Not Free

**~*28*~**

"Were your parents excited when you told them about London, you did accept the offer right?" Natsumi asked as Juni filled his mouth with another portion of rice. He, Kumiko and her parents were sat around the dinner table. Juni had been coming to their house for dinner for quite some time now. With a gulp, Juni swallowed his rice.  
>"I accepted, at the same time as Kumiko but I... I actually haven't told them yet" He responded with a weak smile. Kumiko's gaze darted towards him as she gave a worried look.<br>"Really? Isn't that something you think they should know?" Masaru laughed.  
>"I suppose, I'm just trying to find the right time to tell them" Juni smiled. Masaru looked towards his daughter whose eyes found their way down to her plate.<p>

"Well, I'm stuffed!" Masaru beamed as he finished his plate. He leant over to his wife as he gave her a kiss. "Delicious rice Sumi" He smiled.  
>"Did you enjoy it Juni?" Natsumi asked.<br>"Yes, it was great!" He nodded.  
>"I better get back to work on the car, those connectors aren't going to connect themselves" Masaru laughed. "Erm, Juni, you mind giving me a hand?" He asked, folding his bulky arms.<br>"Juni doesn't know a lot about cars dad" Kumiko smiled. Juni shrugged his shoulders.  
>"You know about electrics right?" Masaru questioned.<br>"Sure, a little" Juni nodded.  
>"Great, come on."<br>"Then I'll help you with the dishes mom" Kumiko stated as her mother thanked her. Juni and Masaru made their way out of the house to work on Masaru's car.

The hood of the car was held up as Masaru looked inside it, tampering with a few wires. Juni stood off to the side, looking on at the man. Masaru raised his head as he spoke "Juni, come here and hold this down for me" He said, pointing to the end of a wire. Juni nodded as he walked over, doing as Masaru asked. Masaru began to attach another strand of wire to the one that Juni grasped. As he did this he spoke again. "So, why haven't you told your parents yet?" Masaru asked.  
>"About what?" Jun wondered.<br>"You know, moving to England, university and that."  
>"Well, like I said, I just haven't found the right time to do it" Juni shrugged.<br>"Kumi was pretty excited when she told us, came running home the same day she found out" He laughed. Juni remained quiet.  
>"You need to flip the battery head around, negative charge to a positive one" He muttered.<br>"Oh, yeah, of course I knew that" Masaru chuckled. He looked at Juni; a mist of sadness had filled his eyes. "I don't want to seem intrusive or anything" Masaru began, Juni looked up. "But, is it because of your dad?" He asked, Juni gave no response "Kumiko told us about him, gives you a tough time right?"  
>"I guess" Juni mumbled.<br>"So, do you think his reaction would be bad?" Masaru asked.  
>"The exact opposite" Juni sighed. A confused expression came over Masaru's face.<br>"That's a good thing though, isn't it?"  
>"Me, moving away and doing something that he chose for me, is the only thing he'd ever be happy with... He's always been overly critical. He needs to have control over what I do, no matter what it is." Juni sighed. "He's tried to stop me seeing my friends, going out..."<br>"Have you told him about Kumiko?" Masaru asked. Juni shook his head.  
>"I couldn't..." He replied. Masaru nodded his head. "I don't want him to feel the satisfaction of getting exactly what he wants, of me doing the exact thing he had planned for me. I don't want him to feel like he won."<br>"But, it's what you want right? I mean, you love maths, so going to London to study what you love has got to be a big deal for you." Masaru stated.  
>"I do love it; it still doesn't take away from the fact that it was what he decided I should love. He hammered it into me from a young age and, I suppose, I grew to love it." He shrugged.<br>"Look, Juni. I've known you for how long, it's January, so nearly three months right?" Masaru wondered as Juni nodded. "Even from that short span of time I know you're a good kid. So, talk to your dad. Tell him about Kumiko, your friends, England, everything. If he's any kind of father then he'll listen and be supportive." Masaru stated. Juni nodded slowly at his words. "And hey, if he doesn't, then you're always welcome here."  
>"Thanks..." Juni smiled. Masaru nodded, as he finished attaching the two wires the headlights of the car produce a blinding light.<br>"Well, at least it's working now" Masaru laughed as he shielded his eyes from the light. Suddenly the car shut down as the light went out all together. "Crap, well, looks like you're walking home." Masaru sighed.  
>"Kumiko did tell you, I don't really know much about cars." Juni laughed as Masaru nodded at his words.<p>

Juni waved goodbye to Masaru and Natsumi as Kumiko walked with him to the end of her road. "You're going to tell your parents right?" She asked as they strolled along together.  
>"I suppose" Juni mumbled. Kumiko came close to the red headed boy as she slipped her fingers in between his, bringing their hands together.<br>"I'm here for you" She smiled as they came to a stop at the end of her road. He looked into her eyes as he began to speak.  
>"You know how difficult it is..." Juni sighed.<br>"I know" She nodded. She smiled at him as he returned it. Looking down to her feet she paused for a moment. As she raised her head she held Juni's other hand. They stood there, grasping each others hands under the night sky. "Look, Juni. I really care about you." She said.  
>"And I really care about you" He smiled.<br>"I don't want you to hold back on this, hold back from telling your family about things. They may not act the way you want them to, they may not accept everything that you say and or do but... They're your family and I know you'll regret not saying anything." She said. Juni nodded slowly as Kumiko spoke up again. "By the time we go to London, well we'll be on our own. We'll have no one out there but each other. It may not be a bad idea to patch things up at home; it would be nice for you to have something to look forward to when we do come home." Kumiko stated.  
>"What if I don't want to come home? What if I wanted to stay out there with you? We wouldn't have to come back." Juni sighed. Kumiko shook her head.<br>"Juni, there will always be a time when we have to come back. We can't just run away from here. I have my family, you have yours and we have our friends as well. I wouldn't just want to leave that all behind" She smiled as she tilted her head ever so slightly. Juni nodded as his gaze turned to the floor. In that moment he felt a gentle touch upon his chin, raising his head he saw Kumiko's pretty face leaning in towards his. She closed her eyes as she pursed her lips, Juni's heart raced as he did the same. Their lips touched as Juni felt a wave, of what he could have only describe as electricity, course through his body. Moments later Kumiko brought her lips away from Juni's and smiled. He stood there, speechless, unable to produce even the simplest of syllables. "I'll see you tomorrow" Kumiko said as she turned to walk home. Juni remained silent and still as he watched Kumiko fade away down the road as she made her way home. He let out a sigh as a smile came across his face.

"Your first kiss?" Kaito asked as Juni held the phone to his ear.  
>"Yeah, you know I've never done that" Juni replied. He continued to stroll along the road; he was now nearing the area where Takeshi resided.<br>"So, over two months and you've only now moved onto kissing?" Kaito chuckled.  
>"Don't make it sound so weird. I told you, we were taking it slow."<br>"_Were_" Kaito laughed. Juni blushed slightly.  
>"We still are" Juni said, correcting himself.<br>"Sure, sure" Kaito laughed. Juni came to an alleyway. On the other side lay the rundown area of Hikarizaka, an area Juni was not particularly fond of.  
>"I'm gonna have to go" Juni stated "I don't want to have my phone stolen... My dad <em>will <em>kill me then."  
>"Sure man, take care" Kaito replied as Juni hung up his phone. Placing it in his pocket he took a brisk pace through the dark streets. Making his way along the filthy road Juni passed several people laying down, sleeping, shielded from the crisp, cold air by card board boxes and tattered blankets. He couldn't help but feel sorry for these people however, as he had always been told to be cautious around them, he pressed on. As he made his way towards the exit he saw a familiar sight. Next to a few large dumpsters stood the very wall that Gaku had held Juni up against, where Juni had stood up for himself, a gesture that had changed everything for him. Shaking off the memory he made for the exit, making his way into the more friendly part of town.<p>

A while later Juni had reached his home. Before opening the front door he pulled out his phone. It read 10:14 pm. _Crap_, he thought, Isao would surely be displeased with his son. Of course, that was nothing out of the ordinary for Juni. He took out his key and slowly placed it inside the lock, turning it he gentle pushed the door open as he was met with a frightful sight. Juni's parents were sat in the living room, to the left of Juni. They were facing him as his father had his arms folded.  
>"Where have you been this time?" Isao asked, Juni's mother had a worried look on her face.<br>"At Kaito's house" Juni muttered.  
>"Well, I doubt it. It seems that's all you ever do" His father stated. Juni said nothing; he merely looked down towards his feet. "Junichiro, you look at me when I'm speaking" Isao said. Juni's eyes found their way to Isao's. "Where have you been?" He asked, repeating his previous question.<br>"I told yo-"  
>"No!" Isao shouted as Junko shot back a little, shocked at her husband's response. "Tell me the truth."<br>"Why?" Juni questioned.  
>"What?"<br>"Why should I tell you the truth? So you can be angry? So you can put me down as you always do?" Juni asked, raising his voice.  
>"Put you down?" Isao mumbled.<br>"Yeah! It's all you ever do! Mom knows it but she's too scared of you to say anything!" Juni yelled. Isao shot up from his seat as he grabbed hold of his son, backing him up to the wall. Juni began to struggle.  
>"Isao don't!" Junko cried as she attempted to pull her husband off of her son. Isao pushed her off of him as she back away. He kept a hold of Juni as he began to speak.<br>"Listen to me you little shit. All I've ever done for you is provide, help you reach your potential and set you straight. You repay me by making friends with two thugs and three whores, getting into fights in and out of school, neglecting your family and duties here... What else is there?!" He yelled as he began to fume, his face had turned a deep red. Juni remained quiet, looking off away from his father he swallowed his urged to cry. Looking back to Isao he spoke.  
>"Isao, you can say what you want about me; you can put me down but never say anything about my friends." He stated in an unusually calm tone.<br>"It's what they are and you know it." His father smirked. Juni began to clench his fist as his father tightened his grip; his smirk was still spread across his face. For Juni, those few seconds felt like they would never end. In his father Juni saw everything that he had hated about himself, all of his insecurities, his weaknesses. At this moment in time Juni could see no difference between the man that stood before him and Gaku. Pulling his fist back Juni was about to swing for the bully as one image entered his mind. It was an image that filled him with warmth and calmness, a beautiful girl with blue eyes and a bob of brunette hair. Juni returned to his senses as he relaxed his fist. The anger in his eyes left as he reached up for Isao's wrists. As he pulled them off of his shirt Isao slowly let go of the boy. Juni shook his head. Isao looked on, not recognising the boy that stood there.  
>"You want to know what else there is?" Juni began "Takeshi and Kaito are my best friends. They've looked out for me since my first year. They've protected me against bullies when you wouldn't even hear me out on the matter. One of those 'whores' as you put it is my girlfriend, Kumiko. She's amazing, mom you would have loved her. She's intelligent, beautiful and kind. We... We're going to London together." He stated. His parents shared an expression of shock. "Yeah, I've been offered a place to study Mathematics in London, a scholarship actually. You know something? I can't wait to go so that I can finally leave this place; I can finally get away from you!" He yelled, pointing at Isao. "I'll tell you something, since meeting my friends, since taking on my bullies and standing up for myself, since meeting someone who thinks the world of me... I'm actually happy. When I go, when I leave for London... I won't be coming back." Juni sighed. "You're not worth it anymore dad" He said. The anger which had left Juni's eyes had found its way to Isao's as he turned red once again.<br>"Fine!" He shouted "If you want to leave Junichiro then leave! Get the fuck out of my house now!"  
>"What?" Juni questioned.<br>"Isao, you can't kick our son ou-"  
>"Save it!" Isao snapped. Junko went quiet again. "Get out, get your things and leave now. You're not welcome in this house anymore." He stated, looking away from the boy he once called his son. Juni looked towards his mother, tears rolled down her cheeks yet she said nothing.<p>

After getting together his essentials Juni stood at the front door of the house. Isao had gone to his bedroom, locking the door behind him. Junko stood next her son.  
>"I'm sorry mom" Juni sighed. His mother shook her head as she placed a hand on her son's cheek.<br>"It's my fault, I should have said or done something a long time ago" She croaked. "Where are you staying tonight?"  
>"I gave Kaito a call, he's letting me stay for a few days."<br>"Good" She smiled. Juni embraced his mother as they held each other in their arms. Releasing her son, she spoke. "I'm sure it will all be okay in a few days" She stated.  
>"It won't" Juni replied as his mother began to cry again.<br>"I love you" She said, giving a weak smile.  
>"I love you too" Juni nodded. With that, Juni turned away and left his home. He didn't look back as he made his way along the road towards Kaito's house. Junko looked on as her son grew smaller and smaller in the distance. She wiped another tear away from from her cheek as she closed the door behind her, allowing her son to finally be free.<p>

**~*28*~**


	29. Kumiko's Kindness

**~*29*~**

As the clock settled on 12:00 am Juni flicked through the radio stations with the volume close to being mute. Nothing caught his attention as merely static leaked out of the speakers. The reception wasn't very good at Kaito's house, it never was. Turning the radio off, he curled up on the sofa as he pulled his blanket over himself. Behind him he heard a door slowly creak open as he popped his head over the sofa's back. A figure walked in from the darkness of the hallway as it noticed Juni, still awake. "Hey" Kaito whispered as he walked over to his friend.  
>"Hey" Juni replied, moving up the sofa as he sat up straight, giving Kaito room to sit down. Kaito took a seat next to his friend as Juni brought his knees up to his body, wrapping his arms around them.<br>"Can't sleep?" Kaito asked.  
>"No, not at all" Juni sighed.<br>"The sofa not comfy?" Kaito smiled. Juni shook his head.  
>"It's nothing like that" He replied, quietly laughing to himself.<br>"Then what is it?"  
>"I... I keep seeing my mom's face. She looked so sad..." Juni muttered.<br>"Well yeah... I mean, I'd be surprised if she wasn't."  
>"I guess" Juni nodded. He looked towards Kaito as a worried expression spread across his face.<br>"What else?" Kaito questioned, stretching his arms upwards with a yawn.  
>"I don't like leaving her alone with him... Especially after tonight" Stated Juni.<br>"He won't do out to her" Kaito replied.  
>"How do you know?"<br>"Has he yet?" He asked, gesturing his hands in a confident matter, as if he knew the answer already.  
>"No... Not that I know of" Juni mumbled.<br>"Right, so I wouldn't worry about it. Besides, I'm sure your dad we'll be pretty upset."  
>"I doubt it; you should've seen how angry he was..." Juni sighed.<br>"You know, my gran used to say 'we hurt the ones we love'..." Kaito said, giving a nod. "I'm sure it will work out."  
>"I'm not so sure I want it to" Juni mumbled. Kaito rose up from his seat as he began to walk back to his room.<br>"Try to get some sleep man" Kaito smiled.  
>"Sure... Weren't you going to get something?" He asked.<br>"Huh?"  
>"That's why you came out of your room right?" Juni wondered. Kaito smiled as he shook his head.<br>"I was just checking up on you... See if you were okay" Kaito stated. Juni nodded.  
>"Thanks Kaito" He replied as Kaito returned the nod. He turned around and made his way back to his room, closing the door behind him. Juni was left there, alone, in the darkness of the living room. He pulled his blanket back over him as he shut his eyes in an attempt to get some sleep.<p>

"Kaito, hurry up!" Juni yelled as he and his friends sprinted along the road towards school. The clock had hit 8:45, Kaito had slept in, and they were definitely going to be late.  
>"Yeah, yeah..." Kaito sighed as he jogged along behind Juni. As they made their way along the sky began to grow dark as rain started to pour out of the clouds above. Juni cursed under his breath as he pressed onwards.<p>

They came to the school's entrance... It was empty. School had already begun. Juni and Kaito ran towards their lockers, switching their outdoor with their indoor shoes they attempted to dry off. "See you at lunch?" Kaito asked as he began to walk off, Juni nodded in reply as he too made towards his classroom.

"Don't make a habit of it" Juni's teacher muttered as Juni took his seat. He was alone in homeroom. Kaito, Takeshi and Yumi were together, Kumiko and Ushio were together but Juni was all alone. He looked forwards as his teacher began to read out the announcements for the day. "Nikuman has been removed from the cafeteria an..." Juni heard his teacher say before his mind began to drift off. Thoughts of the previous night with his father ran through his head as he was interrupted by someone trying to get his attention.  
>"Pssst" Someone whispered from his right, Juni looked over. A boy with dark hair and glasses was looking at him. Another boy to his left along with a girl who sat in front of Juni also had their eyes on him. Getting rather suspicious, Juni spoke.<br>"Yeah?" He asked.  
>"We heard about Gaku" The boy with the glasses smiled as the other two nodded.<br>"What about him?" Juni questioned.  
>"We heard what you did, standing up to him, punching him in the face" The boy grinned in an eager manner as he pushed up his glasses, realigning them on his nose.<br>"That was a while back, how did you know about it?"  
>"We heard it from a boy in our English class" The girl smiled as she gazed on at Juni. "You must be very brave" She stated "And strong" She added. Juni felt himself blushing slightly, if he didn't know any better, he could've sworn this girl was trying to flirt with him.<br>"I wouldn't say that" Juni replied, letting out a quiet laugh so his teacher wouldn't hear.  
>"I would" She nodded. The other boy who sat next to the one with the glasses spoke.<br>"You're kind of hero among people like us" He said. Juni became confused.  
>"A hero?" He wondered, the three of them nodded. "What do you mean among people like you?"<br>"You know... Us _geeks_" The boy with glasses said, rolling his eyes as he made quotation marks with his fingers.  
>"Right..." Juni replied as he returned his gaze to the front. Before turning back around the girl in front gave him one last smile. At that point, Juni was trying very hard to keep Kumiko in his mind.<p>

Juni had met up with Kumiko and Ushio as they waited for their friends so they could go for dinner. Juni was had been explaining to them what had happened, he didn't mention, however, the girl's supposed flirting. "The guy said I was a hero" Juni shrugged.  
>"I wonder how they found out" Kumiko pondered.<br>"Maybe Kaito or Takeshi said something?" Ushio suggested.  
>"Probably..." Juni sighed. As they were speaking the three students from Juni's class approached.<br>"Hey Akimoto" The boy with the glasses smiled. Juni turned around as Ushio and Kumiko looked on.  
>"Oh, hey" Juni smiled.<br>"We were wondering if you wanted to sit with us for lunch?" The girl asked. Kumiko raised her eyebrow at the girl's question.  
>"I can't" Juni replied in a gentle tone. "I'm already having lunch with my friends today" He added.<br>"Maybe some other time?" The boy with glasses asked, Juni nodded. They began to walk off as the girl turned back around.  
>"Akimoto, I'm having a party this Saturday, well a get together of about ten people" She laughed as Ushio and Kumiko shared a look. "You can come if you want" The girl stated as she twirled a strand of her bright red hair. Juni let out a slight cough, as he gave a quick look to Kumiko she diverted his gaze. Juni turned his head back to face the other girl.<br>"Um, yeah sure" He nodded "I'll try and make it."  
>"Great, you can call me Amaya" She smiled as she turned and walked off with her friends. Juni turned to face Ushio and Kumiko. Ushio was looking to Kumiko who had a slight scowl across her face.<br>"What?" Juni asked.  
>"Who's she?" Kumiko questioned.<br>"One of the people I was talking to this morning" Juni replied.  
>"Oh, so she thinks you're a hero?" Kumiko asked as Ushio looked towards Juni. "Well?" Kumiko said. Juni gestured to Ushio, as if asking for help, but he was on his own. He simply shrugged at Kumiko's words as she looked away from him.<br>"Maybe we should just go to the reference room and meet the others there?" Ushio suggested. Kumiko nodded as she began to walk off, Ushio joined her friend as Juni sighed and followed along behind.

"Yeah, my bad man" Takeshi laughed as he and the five of his friends all sat down in the reference room. "Someone made a comment about me not being in a fight with Gaku and those guys for a while... So I told him why. I didn't realise we were keeping a secret" Takeshi shrugged.  
>"Well, we weren't but..." Juni began.<br>"But" Ushio interrupted "It's made Juni famous" She smiled.  
>"Famous?" Yumi questioned with a grin.<br>"Among like three people in my class" Juni sighed.  
>"He got invited to a party by this girl" Kumiko stated "She was pretty wasn't she?" Kumiko said looking to Ushio.<br>"I didn't notice" She smiled in reply. Kumiko nodded. Juni and Kaito shared a look; Juni could see a smile spread across his friend's face. It's wasn't funny, Juni thought to himself.  
>"You gonna go?" Takeshi asked. Juni looked up.<br>"Yeah... I guess" He replied as he looked over to Kumiko who gave a weak smile as she met his gaze.

Kumiko and Juni walked along the road leading to her home, he had been invited over again. In other words, Masaru needed some help fixing up his car again, Juni didn't mind, he liked doing something that he wasn't especially knowledgeable about. Kumiko stopped before they came to her front garden. "Juni..." She sighed. Juni stopped as he looked at her. "We need to talk about something." She stated. Juni's heart rate began to quicken.  
>"About what?" He asked in a cautious manner.<br>"About you living at Kaito's" Kumiko replied.  
>"Oh" Juni laughed, letting out a sigh of relief. "What about it?"<br>"I was thinking... It must be hard, Kaito, trying to take care of his grandmother, right?"  
>"Yeah, just a bit" Juni nodded.<br>"And, you're sleeping on his sofa. It's not really fair to him if he's having to put you up... Rent free no less, money must be hard as it is without having to buy extra food and all that kind of stuff." She said, giving a sympathetic smile.  
>"I've only been there a day" Juni replied.<br>"I know but you said you doubt you'll be back home for a while. So maybe, you may be better off somewhere with a little more room?" She suggested. Juni gave her a look.  
>"Maybe I could ask Takeshi? His brother has gone back to college for his last semester so..."<br>"I was actually suggesting that you stay with me" Kumiko smiled. Juni gave a surprised expression.  
>"Would your parents let me?" He asked.<br>"Well, I spoke with them this morning after you told me what had happened. They were the one to suggest it at first. They said if I brought you over tonight, well, we could all talk about it" She smiled.  
>"Really?" He asked, Kumiko nodded. "Yeah" He smiled "Okay"<br>"Good."  
>"Thank you" Juni nodded as he placed his arms around Kumiko. They stayed like that for a while, Kumiko, embraced within Juni's arms. The only thing that distracted them was Masaru poking his head out of the front door.<br>"Hey kid!" He yelled. Juni quickly let go of Kumiko who let out a giggle. "Come give me a hand with the car!" He ordered as Juni dashed over to help Kumiko's father and, his soon to be landlord.

**~*29*~**

_Finally got my laptop back! So, sorry to you that have been waiting. A little short I know. I don't like putting out chapters less than 2000 words but sometimes they just end up that way. Anyways, this may seem similar to Tomoya and Nagisa's arc and granted, it is, but trust me; things won't play out the same way... At all._


	30. Dungeons & Dragons: Act I

**~*30*~**

Gather close as I tell ye a tale of grand adventure and epic battles. Harken well for you may not hear a tale of such magnitude in this age again. For this is a story of romance, tragedy and friendship...  
>This is Dungeons &amp; Dragons.<p>

"Don't be late home" Kumiko's mother said as she kissed her daughter.

"I won't" Kumiko mumbled.

"Take care of her Juni. Otherwise you can sleep in Botan's bed" Masaru chuckled as Juni looked over to the fat ball of fur. Facing Masaru he smiled.

"You can count on me" He said, and with that Juni and Kumiko set off down the darkening road.

A while later Juni and Kumiko had met their four other friends in the shopping district. It was full of busy shoppers, the January sales always attracted the masses. The six of them wore their usual attire; nothing was out of the ordinary. "So what kind of party is this?" Takeshi asked as they all made their way towards a road, leading away from the district.

"What do you mean?" Juni questioned.

"Like, is it our kind of party or, yanno, a snakes and ladders kind of party?" Takeshi wondered.

"What does that even mean?" Ushio whispered as she leaned near Kaito. He shrugged at her words. Juni ran a hand over his mouth as he searched for an answer.

"I'm honestly not sure..." He said, finally finding something to say.

"Are you sure we're all okay to come?" Yumi asked, hoping that her and the others wouldn't come off as gate crashers.

"Yeah, I said I might bring a few friends along, she said it was okay... I got the feeling that not many people would be showing up."

"Well, it's so great that you came to her rescue Juni" Kumiko mumbled to herself.

"What?" Juni asked, Kumiko shook her head, pretending that she hadn't spoken a word. The six of them pressed on in their attempt to reach Amaya's party.

Reaching a rather small house Juni pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "Yep" He began "This is the right place."

"It's doesn't look like a party" Kaito stated as he examined the rather dull looking house.

"The party's inside bro!" Takeshi howled as he dashed to the front door, extending his finger as he rang the bell. The others joined him at the front door as they waited a moment. After a few seconds the door opened and there stood Amaya. She wore a pair of dark jeans along with a light green shirt.

"Hey!" She beamed as she saw Juni, then her eyes landed on his friends. "Oh, you brought people with you" She said in a half enthused tone.

"Ye-"

"Hope that's okay" Takeshi interrupted as Juni was about to speak. Amaya nodded and gestured for the six of them to come inside. As they each entered Amaya pointed to their feet.

"Do you mind? We've just got some new carpet and mom would go mad."

"Sure" Kaito replied, slipping off his shoes, as did the others.

"Oooh, brand new carpets" Kumiko mimicked in Yumi's ear.

"Kumi, if she tries anything we'll just deck her okay?" Yumi whispered with a laugh.

"What so funny?" Amaya asked as they began to follow her through the house.

"It's nothing" Kumiko replied as she gave a concerned look to Yumi, she honestly wasn't sure if Yumi was making fun or not... Either way, she didn't mind. As they all entered the living room three familiar faces sat on the sofas. The two boys from Juni's class were there as well as Kenji, the bullied photographer Kaito, Takeshi and Juni had met a few weeks prior.

"Kenji?" Juni asked as they entered. Kenji smiled and waved at the three boys.

"Hey! Juni's here!" The boy with the dark hair and glasses stated. The other boy looked up to see the six guests.

"You guys were never introduced. That's Daiki" Amaya said, pointing to the boy with the glasses. He gave a wave.

"Sup" Takeshi replied with a nod.

"That's Takumi" She stated, pointing to the other boy, he also gave a wave. "And, I guess you already know Kenji."

"Hey man, how's it going?" Kaito asked, giving a nod to the boy.

"Fine thanks" Kenji smiled.

"Gaku keeping away from you?" Takeshi laughed.

"So far" Kenji smiled. Suddenly, Juni felt a slight dig to his ribs. Looking to his left Yumi was gesturing for him to introduce them.

"Oh, erm yeah. This is Kaito, Takeshi, Yumi, Ushio and Kumiko" Juni recited as he introduced them. The others gave a wave.

"Are you two sisters?" Amaya asked, looking to Ushio and Kumiko. The two of them looked at each other.

"Sure." Kumiko replied.

"They're not" Juni laughed.

"Oh right" Amaya laughed. "Well, do you all want to take a seat and we can start the game?" She suggested with a smile.

"Game?" Ushio asked, slightly confused. "What game?"

"Why, dungeons and dragons of course, what else?" The girl laughed. Kaito, Kumiko, Takeshi, Yumi and Ushio all looked at Juni as an uneasy smile came over his face.

"Why does she think we're playing towers and trolls?" Takeshi asked.

"Dungeons and dragons" Juni said, correcting him.

"Like there's a difference!" Takeshi scoffed. The six of them had all gone into Amaya's kitchen as the four others sat out in the living room. Takeshi had made the excuse that they needed to have a 'little talk' with their friend, which, of course wasn't entirely false.

"Just answer the question" Yumi sighed. Juni looked at the faces of his friends; they were definitely demanding some answers.

"Okay, look. I was speaking with Amaya and she said that Daiki and Takumi were being picked on by Gaku."

"Big surprise" Takeshi commented, sarcastically.

"Right" Juni replied, rolling his eyes. "I just thought, if they knew a few more people, maybe had a little fun with other people, doing something that they enjoyed... Then maybe they'd be able to get past everything with Gaku, you know? The way I did..." The others looked at each other; their attention went back to Juni. "Meeting you guys was one of the best things to happen to me. Each of you have made me a better person, I was finally able to stand up to Gaku because I felt like I had support..."

"I get it man" Kaito nodded.

"You're wanting to the same thing for these guys?" Yumi asked. Juni nodded at her words. They stayed quiet for a moment, contemplating the situation. Kumiko was the first to speak up.

"Do you really care about them that much?" She asked.

"I just feel like it's my duty to give them the same kind of happiness I've had... I know sound stupid bu-"

"Juni" Kumiko began "I'll do it, I-I'll do it for you" She smiled; Juni thanked her and smiled back.

"I'm in" Takeshi grinned.

"Me too" Stated Yumi as she gave a thumbs up.

"It sounds like fun" Ushio laughed. They each looked to Kaito who let out a sigh.

"Yet again, I'm being dragged into some crazy adventure" He chuckled as he looked to Juni. "Bah, you know I've always got your back man" He nodded.

"Thanks guys" Juni smiled, and with that their adventure began.

"Right, so everyone has a character sheet right?" Kenji asked as he set up his map and various text books. They all nodded. "Okay, I'm Kenji and I shall be your dungeon master for today" He smiled; Amaya gave a little clap as he blushed slightly. Letting out a cough he spoke again. "Right, now we can begin." He said, waving his hands about as if he was attempting to take them to another world...

It began long ago; the armies of man were in battle with the fearsome Mordern forces, lead by the terrible Zaramoth the Unmaker. Many men lost their lives in this great battle however, this was not in vain. For a great king of men stood up to the tyrant known as Zaramoth. Equipped with the ancient Azunite shield, he met his foe. They clashed like the great titans of old as blow after blow from Zaramoth's legendary sword deflected off the great king's sword until; something happened that would change history forever. The legendary sword met that ancient shield, as it made its strike; the sword shattered the shield, breaking it into three pieces. The blow to such a powerful artefact sent out a wave, destroying everything in its path, including the great king and the tyrant. The war was over and a new age began.

A thousand years past, Zaramoth's sword and the three pieces of the Azunite Shield fell into legend. Until, a young prince named Valdis, who sought out the sword of Zaramoth through the help of the dark wizards, an ancient group of hermits who practiced powerful voodoo in their dark caves, through them he came into possession of it. The wizards promised Valdis absolute power to rule the world. The only thing capable of stopping Valdis was the Azunite Shield; however, the pieces remain scattered across the land, hidden for centuries...

"Kaito" Kenji said, Kaito looked up. "As the last and hidden heir to the ancient Azunites, only you can wield the shield which can defeat Valdis, only you can put an end to his evil. However, you won't be doing this alone."

"I won't?"

"No, after learning the truth about your heritage and your destiny from your deceased father, you sought out fellow adventurers to aide you in your quest. On a cold night, you enter a tavern to meet the party of heroes who will be joining you." Kenji smiled "Okay, Kaito, what do you want to do?" Kaito gave him a confused look.

"What do I do?" He asked.

"What ever you want, what ever comes to mind" Juni stated.

"What are my choi-"

"You're slowing us down" Yumi bellowed, interrupting Kaito. "I'll start" Kenji gave a nod. "First I'd like to introduce myself to the rest of the group."

"Good idea!" Amaya smiled.

"I'm Deru, I am a dryad archer, I love adventures and killing M-Mow-"

"Mordern" Kenji said.

"Killing Mordern scum" Yumi finished, smiling.

"Right, erm I'm Lothar, a half-giant and I like to smash the shit out of things with my hammer" Takeshi laughed.

"I'm Taar, a dryad mage. I specialise in healing magic." Ushio stated.

"Kay, I'm Vix a human archer and I enjoy drinking in the local taverns" Daiki said.

"I'm Finala, an elf mage who uses fire and death magic... I guess I'm offensive right?" Kumiko asked as Kenji gave a nod.

"I'm Amren, a male, elf archer. I have a fascination with wildlife, especially plants" He smiled.

"My name is Katarina, a human rogue who uses daggers laced with poison" Amaya grinned.

"I'm Dalos, a human knight." Kaito said, he studied his sheet for a moment. "And, yep I'm the lost heir of the Azunites... Why me?" He said.

"I gave you the character sheets at random." Kenji replied "Takumi?"

"I'm Sartan. A half-giant who uses bastard swords, not bad" Takumi laughed.

"Good, good" Kenji stated. "After becoming acquainted you all step outside, Amren, being an expert of the surrounding lands mentions an old mage who lives south of the tavern at the edge of town. He may have valuable knowledge on the shield as well as an idea of where to begin your search."

"The let's go see him" Juni said.

"You make your way to the mage's house, yet, upon arrival you notice it has been abandoned."

"Okay, then obviously we search inside for the mage" Yumi remarked.

"Clearly it's a trap" Takeshi snarled.

"What?" Yumi asked.

"Come on. Dark wizards, strange old mage goes missing. Clearly he's in on it."

"Why do you have to be difficult?" Yumi questioned. Takeshi merely shrugged at her.

"You all enter the mage's house, looking for any hint or clues to where you should embark next..."

"What happened here?" Sartan asked as he and his fellow heroes entered the old abandoned hut.

"It's difficult to say..." Finala stated, examining the broken door that lay at the front.

"It seems to be a Mordern attack" Amren began "A small group, no more than six" He said, looking over several tracks that lay on the floor. Meanwhile, Taar had been searching through the old mage's books; she had come across something unusual.

"Take a look at this" She said as the others came over. "This book is called the three aegis of the great war, the sword that started an age" Skipping through the book, she landed on a page which contained scribed notes.

"That's the old mage's notes, correct?" Katarina asked.

"It appears so" Responded Amren.

"What does it say?" Asked Lothar.

"It tells of the possible locations of the three aegis." Said Taar.

"Aegis, referring to the pieces of the shield, right?" Lothar questioned. Taar nodded.

"The Aegis of Life, the Aegis of Death and the Aegis of Transcendence." Taar began "When the legendary Shield was struck by Zaramoth's Sword, it broke into three pieces. Each fragment was inscribed with one of the three Azunite symbols, having strangely broken along clean lines. These fragments were lost and eventually forgotten only to be found hundreds of years later by those who sensed their power." The others began to gather around her. "The Aegis of Life was found by the Elves of Greilyn and placed in the Temple of the Coast, where it was watched over first by the Elves, then by the Dryads who came to live on the island after them. The Dryads performed their duty well until Valdis and his armies stormed Greilyn and stole the Aegis." Flipping to the next page, Taar found more information to recite. "It is rumoured that the Aegis of Life grants he who controls it the power of life over all things. The Elves once used it to augment their life spans and heal those who were thought beyond all hope. The Dryads harnessed its power to grow the trees of their village into gigantic proportions and to turn their isle into the lush paradise it is today."

"What about the other ones?" Deru asked.

"He wrote here that: The Aegis of Death was rumoured to have been found by a wandering nomad who gave it to the Elves of Aman'lu for safekeeping. It lay hidden in their vault for three generations until just recently Celeb'hel the Elder gave it to Princess Evangeline to take to Snowbrook Haven. I can't help but wonder if Celeb'hel did this to aid the soldiers at Windstone Fortress as he claims, or if perhaps he sensed that Valdis would be coming and wanted to get rid of it. The Vai'kesh, who had always revered its power to destroy, stole the Aegis from the royal caravan, they reside deep in the marsh lands of Darronwel-."

"This is totally stupid!" Takeshi groaned.

"Come on Keshi, just give it a go" Juni replied. Takeshi gave an annoyed look.

"But what does this have to do with, well anything?" He laughed "Can't we just go straight to this knock-off Sauron guy instead of having to find out all of this information?"

"The whole point is that it's a role-playing game" Amaya said. "You know, you have to act as if you're in this world?"

"I think I have to agree with Takeshi" Yumi sighed "It does seem pointless, aren't we just wasting time when you could just tell us exactly where to go?" She asked, looking to Kenji.

"As dungeon master I have to remain neutral. I can't hinder your journey and I can't help you."

"Now he's the one being difficult" Takeshi whispered as he leaned towards Yumi. They shared a smile for a moment as Daiki spoke up.

"Can we get back to the game now?" He asked, Kenji nodded as he began to narrate again.

"As for the third aegis, the Aegis of Transcendence" Taar continued "Not much is know about this, word has spread of it's appearance in Aman'lu yet it has neither been confirmed nor denied."

"Two out of the three locations are known, that is not a bad start" Deru remarked. Dalos let out a sigh as he began to walk away.

"Perhaps we should search the remainder of this place for more clues?" Katarina asked.

"Be my guest" Dalos replied "I need to go outside for a moment" He stated as he exited the hut. The other adventures looked to each other.

"I'll see if he is okay" Taar said as she left to go after their leader. The others continued to search the rest of the old hut, the two half-giants were rather uncomfortable, having to bend down in order not to destroy the place further.

Outside, Dalos was stood looking up at the sky. It had begun to dwell in twilight as he gazed out upon the vast forest which lay behind the hut, on the outskirts of town. Taar saw Dalos and approached him. "Is everything okay?" She asked. Dalos turned to face her as a weak smile crossed his face, he shook his head. "Do you wish to speak of it?"

"I am not sure..." He sighed. Taar smiled at him.

"Arrana, our world, it is so vast and beautiful. It saddens me to think it may soon be different." She said.

"Nothing can stay the same. If a tyrant or even a fair ruler were to conquer these lands, our world would change."

"I suppose you are correct. Yet, despite its beauty, I am rather afraid to venture out upon it." She admitted. "I have spent so long healing others in my town that to leave and embark on such a quest seems to be a rather big step." Dalos nodded at her words.

"I feel the same. I have spent so long, hidden, protected by my father and his followers. That now, now that my destiny appears to be in my own hands... That I am this descendant of such a noble clan... I do not feel worthy of such a title." He sighed, running his hand through his dark locks. Taar placed her hand on his forearm.

"You will prove your worth by the end of all this Dalos, that I do not doubt." She smiled. Dalos returned her smile as he gazed upon her beautiful, dark face.

"If you stay close to me Taar, I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, I can protect you, I will." He stated.

"Thank you" Taar smiled "I will do my best for our companions as well."

"For our companions" Dalos nodded. Suddenly Lothar exited the hut.

"Am I interrupting?" He asked.

"No, old friend" Dalos replied.

"Then you may want to come inside, we, we found something." Returning inside the hut Dalos and Taar followed Lothar. At the back of the old hut, behind an over turned table laid an old man.

"Try to keep still" Amren said as he made his friend comfortable.

"Amren... Is he here?" The old man asked. Amren nodded as he pointed to Dalos. Dalos approached the dying man as he turned to Taar.

"Can you do nothing for him?" He asked. She knelt down next to him as she examined the man. Looking to Dalos she shook her head.

"There is no magic that of I know of which can save him now. His wounds are too fatal." She stated, gesturing toward the gaping holes in the man's body. The old man grabbed Dalos' arm, he turned to face him.

"You are him? The heir of Azunites?" He asked.

"My names is Dalos, son of Dorran" Dalos replied, nodding his head.

"Dalos, with my dying breath I... I give you such information which will... Aid you." The man said. Dalos leant in closer. "Harken well, for I know of the location of the Aegis... Of Transcendence." He took a deep breath as Taar bandaged his wounds, attempting to hold him together long enough to say his words. "I did not scribe its location. I feared a raid on my home, I was not wrong. They found nothing... That was not known... Far to the east, across the Plain of Tears, there lies... A temple. A temple of my people... The Azunite scholars. There lies the Aegis; they await the true heir of the Azunites... Only the heir can claim the Aegis." He stated.

"The medallion" Amren noted. Dalos looked over to him. "I know of it Dalos, your father's gift to you yes?" Dalos nodded.

"The medallion holds the key... The key to unlocking the shield's true powers..." The old man said, life was beginning to leave his body. "T... Take it to... The... T...ple." He croaked as his body went limp. Amren placed his head against the old man's.

"Be at peace, my old friend." He whispered. Suddenly a loud cry came from outside.

"Mordern!" Vix yelled as he bolted out of the hut to face them.

"Okay, I use my... True shot aura to fire on the creatures." Daiki said.

"You'll need an 8 or higher" Kenji said as he rolled his complex die across the table. It landed on a 6. "Your shot flies past the chief Mordern's head as he cries out for his five followers to charge upon you."

"Then I use my..." Takeshi began, studying his sheet. "Hammer of swift justice, to take out the charging forces." Kenji rolled his dice.

"Your hammer connects with three of the oncoming Mordern, knocking them to the ground, killing two of them in the process." Kenji stated.

"Is there anything I'm not good at?" Takeshi said, nudging Yumi who rolled her eyes.

"The Mordern are still charging at you" Kenji said. "The chief fires a bolt at Dalos."

"I deflect with my shield and... Throw my sword at him?" Kaito suggested.

"12 or higher" Kenji said as he rolled two dice together. 15 came up as the added total. "The bolt hits your shield, deflecting off of it as you launch your sword at the chief. The sword imbeds into the chief's skull as he falls to the floor." Kaito grinned at his accomplishment. "His followers, disheartened at their leader's demise, begin to flee."

"Screw that" Yumi yelled. She studied her sheet for a moment. "I use multi-shot to take out the remaining ones."

"15 or higher" Kenji smiled. After a roll of the dice it came up to 16. "You send out a small volley of arrows, picking off the rest of the creatures."

"And is there anything _I'm_ not good at?" Yumi asked, looking to Takeshi who grinned at her.

"Well met" Amren said, complimenting Deru. She nodded in appreciation. "Dalos" He said, the knight looked over to him. "I suggest we head out, I know these lands well."

"Lead the way" Dalos nodded as they set out on their adventure.

"And so, the heroic heroes ven-" Kenji began.

"Heroic heroes?..." Takeshi interrupted before Juni hushed him.

"Venture forth toward the marshlands of Darronwelf." Kenji continued. "Crossing wide rivers and rocky mountain passes, the party reach their destination."

"I shall scout ahead to find a route through." Deru stated as the others came to a stop at a clearing.

"I will accompany you" Lothar said as he followed. Deru came to a stop as she turned to the half-giant.

"No offence but I do not need a big guy like you trailing behind, slowing me down."

"I can keep up" Lothar replied, taking the lead as Deru sighed and followed. Finala, using her magic of fire had started a camp. Darkness was growing, it would be night soon.

"Take some rest" Amren said as Finala continued to ignite the fire. "You could use it, you've fought well so far."

"In all our years together you have never given me a compliment Amren." Finala responded.

"While it is true, we have been brought up together, I have always admired your strength." He smiled as Finala waved him off.

They all took a seat around the campfire as Sartan began telling a tale. "And the orc was crushed beneath my blow!" Vix's bottled ale spurted out of his mouth as he burst into laughter.

"Fine jest!" Vix roared as Katarina joined in with their banter.

"I once hacked off an orc's limbs, left him with just a torso." She grinned as Vix gave Sartan a concerned look. Off to the side, Dalos had been cleaning down his shield as Taar took a seat next to him.

"It upsets me, the way they speak of such creatures" She said.

"Those creatures are the epitome of evil, slaves to Valdis..." Dalos replied.

"Yes, slaves. If you were created to do ones bidding, then I would also pity you" Taar stated in a sharp tone. Dalos studied her for a moment, looking over her pretty face.

"Have I not also been brought up to follow a single path, to do the bidding of my ancestors?" He asked. Taar went quiet at his words. "Do you pity me?"

"But you are honourable Dalos, as is your cause" She replied, giving a weak smile.

"I suppose that is the line then. Good and honour, evil and destruction..." He sighed. "Either way, our duty is our duty. Those creatures fight for Valdis, for evil. I do not." Taar gave a slight nod as Dalos saw a frown come over her face. "Forgive me" He smiled "I did not mean to offend."

"None was taken" Taar said, returning the smile.

"Hurry up" Deru said as she ran along, Lothar was sprinting behind her.

"I said I could keep up!" He yelled.

"Quiet yourself, we do not know if we're alone" She hissed. They came to the top a small hill as Deru lay down on her stomach, scoping out the landscape. Lothar, breathing heavily, joined her. "I knew you would slow me down."

"We giants are natural sprinters" Lothar replied in his gruff voice.

"_Half-Giant_" She replied, correcting him. "You're clearly not as good as a normal one" She sniggered.

"I could still snap you in two" He grinned.

"Be my guest" She said, also grinning. Suddenly, the two of them heard a blood curdling snarl. Looking down over the hill they saw a large purple humanoid like creature. It had bright white hair which lay down by its shoulders, it was a Vai'kesh. There were several markings over its body of black and blue, on their travels so far Amren had suggested their markings maybe symbols of their tribe, referring to their deities.

"We can take him" Lothar said as they examined the creature. He went to pull his hammer off of his back as Deru grabbed his arm.

"No, he's a scout" She replied.

"A scout?" Lothar asked, rather curious as to why she thought this.

"Look" She began, grabbing Lothar's head and pointing it towards the cluster of trees that lay behind the creature. "See, there's its mount. It has a horn, a bow... Common traits of a seasoned scout in my eyes" Deru said, concluding her assessment. Lothar gave a curious look as he smiled, which was an unusual gesture for the half-giant.

"That is impressive" He said as Deru smiled back. He let out a little cough as he spoke again. "So, what is it that you recommend? What action should we take I mean."

"Simple, we should go back and inform the others. Then we wait, we follow it back to its lair where, surely, the aegis will be."

"That does not seem like a strong foundation to build such a plan on, but, you have not led us astray so far" He nodded.

"Thank you" She smiled.

Back at the camp site Finala and Amren were in a heated discussion. "I feel that the death magic you study, well, it falls far too close to that of voodoo" Amren stated.

"Amren, you are an accomplished ranger, hunter and are very knowledgeable about the world and its inner workings, I shall grant you that. However, you know nothing of magic, runes and scrolls." She remarked. "Not to dishearten you but I do not value your opinions on such a matter."

"That is fair judgement" He replied "Though I still fee-"

"Amren, please resist your urges to solve and assess every little thing" Dalos chuckled as he approached the two.

"That is always the hardest thing to resist" Amren said, smiling in reply as he looked to Finala. Yet again, she waved the elf off.

"Dalos" Lothar said as he jogged into camp, breathing heavily.

"Lothar, what news?" The knight asked.

"Deru has spotted a scout. She suggests we follow it back to its own camp" He replied.

"Amren, what say you?" Dalos questioned, turning to his friend.

"Seems like a fair plan" The red headed elf replied. Dalos nodded in agreement

"Agreed" Finala nodded. Lothar gestured for his companions to follow as Vix began to moan at the others.

"Surely this aegis will still be there on the morrow!" He yelled, taking another drink of ale. "Let us feast!" He chuckled.

"On what?" Dalos asked with a smirk. Vix examined their supplies, noticing they were low on them. He let out a groan as he followed the others through the woodlands.

After meeting with Deru and following the Vai'Kesh to the cave that the old mage had spoken of. As they approached the cave another Vai'Kesh approached them. "Who goes thar!" It cried.

"We come to seek out the Aegis of Death" Dalos replied in a confident manner. "If you surrender it to us, no harm shall come to you." The Vai'Kesh growled as he began to speak.

"You, no take the shard! You no take the aegis! We... We Vai'Kesh, we need!" It cried, drawing it's large cutlass sword. Deru drew her bow, aiming an arrow at the creature.

"Stay your hand creature, you are in our way" She hissed however, the purple skinned monster darted forward, swinging at Deru yet, not before she had released her arrow, planting it firmly between it's eyes.

"Scum" Vix laughed. A large horn was heard as the groups attention turned above the entrance of the cave. Several of the creatures jumped down from the cave's mouth as Lothar and Sartan both drew their weapons.

"Go on ahead!" Cried Lothar as more Vai'kesh began to join the others, jumping down from the top of the cave's entrance.

"We can handle these!" Sartan added as he took out a larger creature, carving it into two. Dalos nodded at the two of them as he entered the cave with Taar, Amren, Finala, Deru, Vix and Katarina following behind.

"Damn!" Vix yelled as they came to split of three ways inside the cave.

"We need to cover all three" Amren sighed.

"Right" Nodded Dalos. "Taar, you and I shall take the left tunnel, Finala and Amren, head down the right. Vix, Katarina, Deru... take the middle." They all nodded in agreement as the group headed there separate ways.

"I'm going to have to separate you all now" Kenji stated.

"Why?" Kaito asked.

"You've just made the call" Kenji began "Takeshi, Takumi. You two are outside the cave, fighting off the waves of Vai'kesh. You have no way of knowing how your friends are doing inside."

"I guess that makes sense" Takeshi replied.

"Now, Ushio and Kaito, you two will need to go in a separate room, Kumiko and Juni you too, and then Amaya, Daiki and Yumi." He smiled.

Ushio and Kaito sat in Amaya's bedroom, waiting for Kenji to return so that could take their own turns. They were perched on the end of the bed as Ushio spoke. "Why did you pick me?" She asked.

"What?" Kaito said, turning to her.

"Why did you pick me, you know, to come with you?"

"In the game?" Kaito wondered, Ushio nodded at his words. "Well, Kenji did say our characters had an attraction" Chuckled Kaito "So I thought, why not?"

"Right, our characters" Ushio echoed, smiling in reply. Just then, the door opened as Kenji walked in.

"So, what do you wanna do?" He asked. Ushio looked to Kaito and smiled.

"You're the leader" She said. Kaito nodded as he told Kenji their next move.

Dalos and Taar made their way down the tunnel as it became engulfed in darkness. The only light within such darkness was a small and lay at the very end of the tunnel. They pressed onwards. Meanwhile, Deru, Katarina and Vix had come to a dead end. "Damn!" Vix yelled.

"We'll have to turn back" Deru sighed. Katarina drew her blade.

"Deru, do you hear that?" She asked as Vix began to drink the remainder of his ale, taking him slightly off balance.

"I do" Deru nodded.

"Hear what? My stomach rumbling from hunger, or my bowels moaning in pain?!" Vix said, roaring with laugher.

"Quiet!" Deru hissed.

"Or what?!" Vix replied "What could possibly happen?!" Suddenly an arrow shot past Deru's head as she ducked out of the way, leaving it to penetrate Vix's chest. Crying out in pain, Vix fell to the floor.

"Ambush!" Deru yelled as Katarina saw the culprit. Charging forwards, she kicked off of the wall of the cave and leapt over the creature, embedding her two daggers in its back as it fell. "Hurry!" Deru ordered as she helped Vix up, Katarina followed behind as the three heard more creatures coming from behind them.

Amren and Finala came to a large, old chamber inside the cave. At the top of the chamber, there was a spiral tunnel that ran around the edges; it was just large enough for a human sized creature to pass through. Spread out across the chamber laid several holes with roots and trees growing out of them. In the very centre of the chamber sat the aegis, encased in a root like cage. "There it is" Amren stated as he began to make his way over. Finala grabbed his arm as he stepped forward.

"Wait, Amren..."

"What is it?"

"This place is old... Very old, there is an ancient magic at work here" She stated. Amren took another step forward towards the aegis. Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake.

"What is this?!" Amren cried as roots of trees shot up from the floor, forming into a large beast. It had horns 10 ft long and eyes as red as fire. It stood on all fours as it gave a fierce howl.

Outside, Lothar and Sartan had wiped out the oncoming forces. From behind them, they heard several voices. "Can't you help him?!" One yelled. In the midst of the darkness of the cave they saw Deru, Katarina and an injured Vix.

"What happened?" Lothar asked.

"Shot" Deru replied as they laid down their comrade, blood began to spurt from his mouth.

"Leave me" He chuckled.

"No" Katarina replied, shaking her head. Up ahead, cackles and cries of Vai'kesh could be heard coming towards the group. Vix grabbed Deru as he spoke.

"Kill them, wipe them... All ou-" He said with his last breath. His eyes darkened as his body went limp. Katarina began to well up. A Vai'kesh came into view as it let out a fearsome roar. Katarina stood up; drawing her two blades she got into a stance. Leaving Vix to his everlasting rest, Deru, Lothar and Sartan joined her. As they ran into battle, in the distance of the cave, a fierce howl was heard as the Vai'kesh charged upon the four heroes, cheering as they did.

**~*30*~**

_This chapter was inspired by Dungeon Siege, The Legend of Zelda and various other fantasy works. I own none of the names of characters, locations etc used within this chapter. Some have been changed from their original source while others remain the same for story purposes._

_I understand some of you may not have enjoyed this chapter, simply because it's a huge departure from the usual formula. If this is the case, don't worry. It will only last one more chapter. It was just something I was really wanting to do and it will be the only time I really do a 'themed' chapter. _

_Anyways, I hope you somewhat enjoyed it. Next chapter will be out soon, probably before Sunday._


	31. Dungeons & Dragons: Act II

**~*31*~**

"Crap!" Daiki moaned as Kenji informed him of his character's death.

"Sorry Daiki, it's just the role of the dice."

Taar and Dalos came to a small tunnel that seemed to run in a circular shape. "Should we follow it?" Taar asked, Dalos gave a nod as he gestured for her to stay close. They moved slowly through the narrow tunnel as they noticed some form of light coming through a crack. Dalos peered though to see Amren and Finala below along with the aegis.

"It's down there; Amren and Finala have found it."

"The aegis?" Taar wondered as Dalos nodded again. Suddenly the walls began to shake as, through the crack, Dalos saw a giant beast crawl out of the pits in the cavern below. It let out a fearsome howl as it began to attack the two adventurers below.

"We need to help them!" Dalos yelled.

"Stand aside!" Taar replied as she aimed her staff at the wall. Sending out a bolt of sheer cold ice it connected with the crack in the wall, blowing a hole through it. Dalos leapt out of the tunnel, landing on the creatures back, he embedded his sword into its spine. The large beast let out another long howl as Amren and Finala began to fire upon it. Dashes of arrows and fire flung across the room as the two of them made their attack.

"What is that?" Lothar asked as he, Deru, Sartan and Katarina heard a vicious howling noise coming from a tunnel.

"Fell beast" Sartan remarked as they began to follow the noise.

Back in the chamber Taar had joined the fight. Sending out a jolt of ice she attempted to freeze the beast's legs. Amren continued to fire upon it as Finala sent out sparks of fire to ignite the creature. Dalos remained on top of it, stabbing the monster when he could. The four of them were joined by the others as, with a loud war cry, Lothar sprinted forward, spun around and launched his hammer at the creature. "Dalos, move!" Amren yelled as the hammer darted towards him. The hammer connected with the creature's face, knocking it backwards, on top of Dalos. It landed with a thud and, as the dust settled the adventures saw their leader, Dalos, on top of the creature; his blade lay deep in its chest. Drawing it from its body the blade had turned red as Dalos stood a top their fallen foe.

"Nice one Dalos" Takeshi laughed as Kaito rolled his eyes. Kenji had brought the group back into the living room, having reunited with each other in the game.

"Okay, so we have the shield thingy" Kumiko began "Now all we have to do is go to these Ay-zu-nites right?"

"Close enough" Katarina smiled.

And so, after briefly grieving their lost comrade the party made their way far to east, to the plain of tears in which the Great War had been fought, so long ago. "It's so quiet" Taar stated as they gazed upon the deserted plains.

"Come" Dalos replied "We must find this temple."

"After searching for a while the party comes across an old stone fortress of some kind" Kenji narrated.

"I break the door down" Takeshi stated.

"You can't do that" Amaya replied.

"Why?"

"They fight for our cause Lothar! We cannot just break in!" Katarina yelled.

"Quiet, both of you" Amren hissed. "Dalos, these people await your arrival, if you recall." Dalos nodded. He approached the large door and knocked upon it. A few minutes passed.

"No ones in there, let's break it down!" Lothar roared.

"That would not be so wise" Said a shrill voice from the other side of the door. Lothar stopped in his tracks as the door opened to reveal a small old man, in his hand sat a dark staff.

"You are a scholar..." Dalos smiled.

"And you are Dalos, son of Dorran."

"How di-"

"Your father made contact before his death. You wear the medallion, hence you are the heir" The old man smiled. Dalos looked down to his chest where his medallion lay. "Please, come inside, all of you." They entered the temple. Inside, it was dimly lit with torches as they made their way down a passage. "At the end of this corridor is a room, inside the aegis sits."

"Aegis of Transcendence" Dalos muttered.

"Yes" The scholar replied "It grants one immortality, of course, that can only be achieved when combined with the other aegis."

"Well, that's off the A-list" Takeshi laughed as Yumi hushed him. Kenji continued to narrate.

They entered the room which contained the aegis. As the old man approached it, he turned to Dalos. "The medallion, an ancient relic created by the scholars of old. If placed in the shield, it will be indestructible."

"In the shield?" Deru questioned. The scholar nodded.

"Yes, please hand me the aegis" He said. Dalos brought out the aegis that had previously recovered. Handing it to the scholar he began to speak again. "Here" He said, tracing his finger along the fragment. "This curve is where the medallion fits; you will need the other two to form the complete shield." Taking the other aegis from its stand he gave it to Dalos. "Please, please end his tyranny before it can consume us all." Dalos nodded.

"I will not let him come to power."

"That's it right?" Kaito asked as Kenji looked his way. "We have those two aegis things. Now we can go to see this Valdis, right?" Kenji nodded.

"Does this guy know where we can find him?" Takeshi asked.

"Yeah, he knows" Kenji smiled.

The party bid their farewells to the scholar as they continued their journey to their final destination. "I thought the temple was home to many scholars" Katarina stated.

"They must have either died out or been killed" Finala replied in a stern manner.

"That one had seen better days" Sartan remarked.

"Do not be so disrespectful!" Deru scolded.

"What of it?!" Sartan retorted.

"He helped us" Deru stated as she pushed past the half-giant, joining Taar and Dalos at the front.

"Why do you act as such?" Lothar questioned.

"She is a dryad..." Sartan laughed.

"She is a great warrior" Lothar smiled. Sartan studied his 'brother' for a moment.

"If I did not know any bette-"

"Which you do not" Lothar interrupted.

"If I did not know any better I would say you have fallen for this dryad." Lothar's cheeks went a shade darker.

"Do not be ridiculous" He replied, hiding his face as Sartan grinned at him.

"Okay, so you all come to the entrance of Valdis' fortress. It appear abandoned from the outside, yet, the gate is heavily locked." Kenji stated.

"My character has a knack for mechanics" Kumiko smiled. "Can I pick the locks?" Kenji nodded in reply.

Inside the fortress, the dark menacing halls were empty. "For a psychotic dark lord, this Valdis does not appear nearly as dangerous as I had imagined" Lothar chuckled. Suddenly the group heard loud chanting coming from down a hallway.

"A ritual is taking place here" Finala stated as they made their way down the hallway. "An honouring of a god."

"May the goddesses have mercy..." Sartan sighed as the came out onto a balcony which over looked a great hall. Below them stood an army of Mordern, praying to a large figure at the front. He wore black armour, horns protruded from his helm and a large sword lay by his side.

"There he is..." Dalos stated "Valdis." The chanting abruptly stopped as Valdis raised his hand. He stood up from his great throne as he spoke.

"I shall have war!" He roared as the Mordern cackled and cheered. His voice was something sinister; the heroes felt chills down their spines. "Go, go and take this land of Aranna!" He yelled. Just then, a small agile orc approached the great lord as he knelt down before him.

"My lord!" He cried "The armies... The armies of men lie outside our doors!" A look of despair covered Valdis' face.

"Today, this day! We claim our land! Move out!" He yelled as the majority of the Mordern exited the hall to meet the great army which lay outside.

"The old scholar" Amren whispered into Dalos' ear. "He must have sent for aid" Dalos nodded at his friend as he began to speak.

"My friends. You have aided me thus far, I do not ask you to walk to your deaths with me. We may not return from this place." Dalos said.

"I would not abandoned you" Amren replied, shaking his head.

"We are with you Dalos, all of us" Taar smiled. Dalos nodded at her words.

"Then let us be rid of this evil" He yelled as he turned and hopped off the balcony, the others followed as they landed several metres below. "Valdis!" Dalos cried. The dark lord turned to face him. "I am Dalos, son of Darron, the heir of the great king of men!" Valdis stared at the knight. "I have come to end you!" Dalos yelled, charging forward as he drew his shield and sword. Several Mordern darted forward as Dalos' companions fought them off. Valdis drew his great sword of Zaramoth as he defended against Dalos' blows.

As the others fought off the Mordern forces Amren bolted, slipping past the engaged Valdis, for up on a pedestal, behind the large throne stood the aegis, the final one. Climbing up, several Mordern began to fire upon him. "Down, bring him down!" They yelled. Lothar and Taar rushed over to the archers, engaging them in combat as they slaughtered them, allowing Amren to proceed.

Valdis struck down on Dalos' shield as he fell before it. Valdis kicked his sword out of the knight's hand as he picked him up by the neck. "You are his heir? You are not worthy!" Valdis laughed as he lifted his sword up. Suddenly, an arrow met with Valdis' knee as his grip on Dalos weakened, dropping him. Dalos crawled away to his sword as Valdis turned around to meet the culprit. Deru stood their, bow aimed at the man. Valdis charged forward as Deru's arrows deflected of his tough armour. He leapt forwards as he raised his sword to bring it down upon Deru. Just then, a figure stepped in front of her as it took Valdis' blow. Lothar, the great half-giant had fallen in front of Deru's eyes. She let out a cry as Valdis laughed. Running behind the throne Deru took cover. Dalos attacked Valdis from behind, slicing into his back. Valdis, turning around, again engaged in combat with Dalos. Deru ran over to Lothar as she knelt beside him.

"Lothar?" She asked, the giant did not respond. She silently mourned him as he rose up and began to fire again at Valdis. Arrows deflected off of his back as he traded blows with Dalos from the front. The large beast of a man let out a roar as he struck Dalos' shield again. Yet, in that moment, Amren had leapt down from the pedestal and onto Valdis' back.

"Dalos!" He yelled as he threw the shield piece to him. As Valdis' struggled to take the elf off of his back Dalos assembled the shield, placing the medallion into the middle it began to glow. Valdis had managed to grab Amren as he struck him with his sword, sending him flying into the wall.

"No!" Dalos cried as he charged forwards. Valdis lashed out at the knight as Dalos held up the great shield, defending himself.

"And, in that moment" Kenji said "The sword met the shield. Yet, having been fully assembled, the shield was able to withstand the sword's blow. The sword crumbled in Valdis' hand as Dalos, the heir of the great king of old had transcended humanity, and he became immortal. Only he could match Valdis' power and so he did."

Thrusting his sword into Valdis' body the tyrant fell to the ground. In that moment, history had been created as Valdis' body went up in flames, erasing it from this world...

"Congratulations" Kenji smiled "You have won the game."

"Hell yes!" Takumi bellowed.

"I dunno, it kinda felt anti-climatic" Takeshi sighed.

"Are you kidding?" Yumi laughed "You sacrificed yourself to save little ol' me!"

"It was only a game" Kenji laughed.

"Still" Yumi smiled, looking to Takeshi who returned her smile.

"Thanks for coming" Amaya smiled as she waved goodbye to Juni and his friends. They made their way down the road as Kumiko spoke.

"Juni, can I talk to you for a minute?" She asked. The others stopped as Kumiko gave them a look.

"We'll go on ahead" Ushio remarked as she, Kaito, Takeshi and Yumi left the two of them. Juni smiled as he looked at Kumiko's frowning face.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Kumiko looked at him as she sighed.

"Juni, do you... Do you like that girl?" She asked.

"This isn't some kind of test is it?" He said with an uneasy laugh.

"Juni..."

"Why do you think that?" Juni questioned.

"Well, you went completely out your way to do something for her... She seemed to like you..." Kumiko sighed.

"Kumi" Juni began, taking her hands in his. "I did this for them, not her." He smiled. "I told you why, they're just the way I used to be, before I met you."

"I'm sorry..." Kumiko replied as Juni shook his head.

"Kumi you never have to worry about anything like that. I know I'm not very experience in this kind of thing but I do know that... That I'm never going to feel the same for anyone, the way I feel about you."

"Ju-"

"Kumi, I-I love you. I really do, there's no one else, no one." He smiled. "There never will be." Kumiko felt a smile cross her face as she embraced the red headed boy.

"I love you too" She whispered. With that, the two of them walked home, hand in hand. It was a moment Kumiko wished would never end. Little did she know, things could not remain the way they were, this would have to change, for better or for worse...

**~*31*~**


	32. Bakery Berserker

**~*32*~**

"Gran, please, just eat it" Kaito said as he brought a spoon up to his grandmother's mouth. She pushed his hand away as she shook her head. Letting out a groan, Kaito's head feel into his hands. As he began to speak again he heard a knock on the door. Standing up and placing the spoon back into the bowl of soup he placed it on the floor. "You need to eat" He stated as he turned away to go to the front door. Reaching the front door he took out a key and unlocked it. As he opened the door he saw a familiar face on the other side. "Ushio?"

"Hey" She smiled. She wore a slim black jacket, jeans, sneakers and her usual white knitted hat. Kaito simply sported a pair of shorts and a red jumper. "I hope I'm not intruding."

"No, no." He replied, looking around to see if she was alone. "What are you doing here?" He asked as his eyes landed back on her.

"I'm just... Well I was in the neighbourhood" She laughed.

"_In the neighbourhood_?"

"By neighbourhood, I mean the one on the other side of town" She said, laughing again. "I dunno, I thought I'd just pay you a visit... Is there something wrong with that?" Ushio asked as a weak smile formed on her face.

"No, of course not" Kaito smiled. Looking back into his house, down along the hallway, he saw his grandmother sat there, staring into space. Looking back to Ushio he spoke again. "You can come in if you want... My gran is here though."

"Are you sure?" Ushio asked, Kaito nodded in reply. Kaito moved aside so that she could enter. Slipping off her shoes they began to walk into the living room.

"She's a little off today" Kaito whispered as they entered the room. Kneeling down next to his grandmother Kaito spoke. "Gran, someone is here to see you" He smiled. Sayuri looked up as her eyes lit up.

"Ushio!" She smiled.

"Hello" Ushio smiled in reply. Kaito was stunned; usually his grandmother would barely recognise him. She got up from her seat as she embraced the girl. Ushio was caught off guard but hugged the woman as she smiled at Kaito. Kaito looked on, wondering why his grandmother was acting as such. Kaito took a hold of grandmother as he led her back to the sofa. Looking to Ushio he smiled.

"Would you like a drink or something?"

"Just water" She smiled, not wanting to put Kaito out of his way.

"Gran do you want a drink?" He asked, looking to Sayuri. A weak smile came over her face as she began to look lost.

"E-em-yu-" She began.

"I'll make you a cup of tea" Kaito smiled.

"I'll help you" Ushio stated as she followed him through to the kitchen.

Kaito's kitchen was quite bare. There was an old microwave on the counter, along with a grubby stove and oven. In the corner lay a sink next to an old fridge-freezer. Taking a teapot out of a cupboard Kaito filled it with water and placed it on the stove, waiting for it to heat up. Ushio studied him for a moment. "What is it?" He asked.

"Hmm?"

"You always want to ask me something" Kaito chuckled "What is it?"

"Well, I was just wondering. Before, when you answered the door... Do you always keep it locked?" Ushio asked. Kaito's smile faded as he looked down to the floor, Ushio wondered what she could have said to upset him."Are you okay?" She asked. Kaito raised his head, facing her.

"A few weeks ago... My gran went missing" He stated as a shocked expression came over Ushio's face. "She just walked out while I was in the bath, I got out and she was gone... Anyways, she's basically on lock down at the moment and that doesn't help her outbursts."

"Outbursts?" Ushio questioned.

"Yeah, random fits of rage and that... It's quite scary to be honest" He sighed. Ushio gave an encouraging smile at the boy as Kaito spoke again. "You know, I'm really surprised she remembers you... She barely recognises anyone these days." Ushio said nothing in reply; she simply held her smile as Kaito smiled back. The teapot let out a hiss as it finished boiling. Kaito removed it from the stove and poured the water into a cup, adding the tea leaves and milk he handed it to Ushio. "Could you take that through please? I'll get ours" He smiled. She nodded and exited the kitchen. As Kaito began to turn the tap to fill two glasses, he heard Ushio's cry.

"Kaito!" She yelled. Running into the living room Kaito saw that his grandmother was gone. He saw Ushio come in from the hallway at the back of his house. "Is she in her room?" He asked in a panic.

"No, I've checked every room, she's gone" Ushio replied in a croaky voice. Kaito turned his attention to the front door and, as he had expected, it was wide open.

"She's gone out of the front" He sighed. Ushio went quiet as Kaito's face turned red. "Fucks sake!" He yelled as he ran towards the door. Ushio followed him from behind. "Why would I forget to lock it!"

"Kaito, I'm so sorry!" Ushio wept. Kaito turned around as his anger began to leave him.

"Why are you sorry?" He asked.

"If I hadn't of just come over like this then you wouldn't of had to open the door" She sighed. Kaito breathed deeply, calming himself.

"Don't be stupid" He smiled "Come on, she can't of gotten far." He said as he gestured with his head for her to follow.

"Where does she normally go?" Ushio asked as they walked down the street.

"Dunno... Probably the park or something" Kaito replied as he scanned every house and road as they went by. "Just keep an eye out."

"Got it" Ushio nodded, determined to right her wrong.

They came to the local park that sat outside of the Furukawa Bakery. Scanning the area, they saw no one, not a sign of Sayuri anywhere. "Maybe we should call the police?" Ushio suggested.

"You really think the police are gonna waste their time looking for someone with dementia?" Kaito asked.

"Of course" Ushio nodded "Or at least her carers."

"No, I can handle it" Kaito stated bluntly. Suddenly, the two of them heard a scream as their heads shot around. It was coming from the bakery. "Come on!" Kaito yelled as he dashed forward toward the building.

Opening the door, Kaito entered, shortly followed by Ushio. There, on the floor, lay Sayuri. Sanae stood at the other side of the store and in between them there were several stands turned over as the floor was covered in bread and baked goods. "Ushio?" Sanae asked as she and Kaito approached the elderly woman on the floor.

"What the hell was that?!" Akio roared as he entered the bakery's back door through the house. His eyes met the old woman on the floor. As he looked to Sanae she spoke.

"She just, she just came in and started throwing things about..." Sanae said, breathing heavily.

"Gran..." Kaito whispered as he knelt down next to the woman, she looked up with a smile.

"It's alright..." Sayuri nodded. Kaito nodded in reply as he gave a weak smile. Kaito helped his grandmother up to her feet as he looked to Akio and Sanae.

"I'm so sorry" He said "I'll pay for the damages" He added as he began to walk his grandmother out of the little shop.

"Kaito, do you want me t-" Ushio began.

"No, just... I can handle it" He replied without looking at the girl. He then exited the shop, leaving the three others behind.

"What the hell was that about?" Akio asked, looking to Ushio.

"Kaito's grandmother h-has dementia Aki" She sighed. Sanae looked to her granddaughter as she placed her arm over Ushio's shoulder. Ushio lent her head against Sanae's arm as tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

Kaito helped his grandmother into her bed as he began to speak to her. "You have to stop doing that gran" He stated.

"No... you" Sayuri said in her woeful tone.

"You're right, it was my fault..." Kaito sighed. Sayuri placed a hand on her grandson's arm.

"My boy..." She smiled. Kaito's eyes widened as he nodded.

"I'm your boy" He smiled.

"My boy" She nodded as she shut her eyes to sleep. Kaito sat with her for a while that night, watching over her in his attempt to keep her safe. Just then Kaito's phoned vibrated. He slipped it out of his pocket as he checked it. There was a message from Ushio on the screen. It read: '_I'm really sorry for today Kaito. You don't have to pay for any damages or anything. I explained everything to Aki and Sanae. See you tomorrow_.' He turned his phone of as he placed it back into his pocket. Exiting his room he went to his own bedroom to get some sleep.

The next day at lunch Takeshi, Yumi and Kaito were walking towards the cafeteria. "I still think it was pretty stupid" Takeshi stated.

"Why?" Yumi questioned.

"It was just anti-climatic I mean yeah we beat that big evil dude but apart from that, what did we accomplish?" He smirked.

"It was a game of dungeons and dragons Keshi" Kaito replied "What did you honestly expect going in?"

"How's about some dungeons and some dragons, there were none in it" Takeshi muttered.

"That's actually a fair point" Yumi laughed.

"Yeah well, we hardly expected it be fun" Kaito mumbled.

"You had fun getting cosy with Ushio's character didn't you?" Takeshi grinned.

"Well what about you two?" Kaito asked "Ooooh I'll snap you in two" Kaito sung, repeating what was previously said while playing the game.

"We were just in character" Yumi said rolling her eyes.

"Sure, keep telling yourselves that." Just then Kaito spotted someone up in front. It was a girl with rather pale skin and long dark hair, Mayumi. He turned to his friends for a moment. "You guys go on ahead, I just need to do something" He said. Yumi looked past him at the girl up in front.

"Why are you so bothered about her?" Yumi asked, placing her hand on her hips.

"What?"

"Hiroshima, why are you so bothered about her?" She repeated. Kaito gave the violet haired girl a peculiar look as Takeshi shrugged. Kaito shook his head and turned around, walking off towards Mayumi.

She was stood with two other girls. One had dark brown hair; the other had a lighter tone to hers. As Kaito approached, one of the girls whispered to Mayumi as she turned around. "Hey" Kaito smiled as Mayumi simply stared at him.

"We'll leave you too it" One of the girls said as they walked off.

"What do you want?" Mayumi asked as Kaito smiled at her. Taking a sigh he spoke.

"Look, I'm sorry okay? Things really haven't been great lately..."

"You've been avoiding me. You didn't even call me over the holidays." Mayumi stated.

"I know, I know..." Kaito nodded.

"We went out once Kaito, it's not like you have any obligations to me" She said.

"Kaito?" He questioned, wondering why she was using his first name.

"Just stay on topic" She sighed. Kaito nodded again.

"Right... Look I am sorry, I'm free tomorrow night if you want to do something?" He asked. Mayumi studied him for a moment, wondering whether to accept or not. She gave a slight nod.

"Okay..." She smiled "But honestly, Kaito, if you mess around like that again then I'm sure I want to be friends anymore."

"I won't let you down" He smiled. Mayumi returned the smile as she turned around to walk off.

"Call me" She said.

"I will... Mayumi" Kaito smiled. He watched her walk off as his mind began to wander. He didn't know why he felt the need to please Mayumi; perhaps it was because she genuinely cared for him? Kaito didn't know. As his mind wandered he landed on the events of the previous night, he would surely have to apologise to Ushio as well. Taking a sigh he turned and began to walk away to find Takeshi and Yumi in midst of the busy cafeteria.

The rain fell heavily that night as Isao was driving home from work. He had been kept late and he wasn't used to driving in such weather, the darkness also didn't help. Still, he pressed on. He was eagerly anticipating a cooked meal when he got home. Yet, the house he lived in rarely felt like a home lately, he had no 'son' anymore and his wife had barely spoken to him since that day... Still he pressed on. Turning at a corner he noticed someone out of the corner of his eye. A large boy with dark hair was running down an alley. Isao recognised him from a while back, the boy that Junichiro had fought. "Scum" Isao muttered. He pressed on. Coming to a set of traffic lights he cursed as they turned red. He waited there yet no cars passed across him. "Must have been that kid who pressed it" He mumbled. Jus then the light turned green, he placed his foot down as the car accelerated and then, in that moment, Isao heard a screech as the side of his car met the front of a very large truck, sending Isao spiralling across the road...

**~*32*~**

_Thank you for the suggestion, JM38LACK._


	33. Tears of Sadness & Joy

**~*33*~**

Isao lay in the cold, sterile room as Juni, Junko and Kumiko sat off to the side. Junko had her head in her hands, sobbing as Kumiko comforted her. To their right, Juni sat there, staring into space, not seeming phased by the situation at hand. "I'm going to get a drink" Juni stated as he rose up from his chair. As his hand reached the door knob Kumiko grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"What?"

"Your mother needs you and you've barely spoken a word to her" Kumiko said in a sharp tone.

"Look, I just need to be alone for a bit, okay Kumi?" He smiled. Kumiko shook her head.

"Don't call me that" She replied as she turned around and made her way back over to Junko. Letting out a sigh Juni opened the door and exited the room. The hallway outside was fairly empty as Juni lent against the wall. Letting out another sigh he began to stroll down it, not knowing where to go or what to do, he simply kept walking.

"So, what do ya wanna do?" Takeshi asked as he, Yumi and Ushio sat on Yumi's bed. Due to recent events, several of their friends were unavailable.

"I dunno" Yumi replied as she flicked a button on her remote, changing the channel on the TV that sat across from them.

"Where's Kaito?" Ushio asked as she scrolled through her phone.

"With that Mayumi" Takeshi said with a yawn. He felt a poke in his ribs as he shot up from his seat. "Jesus Yumi! Stop doing that, Kaito's not even here!" Takeshi cried.

"Honestly, it's fine" Ushio smiled.

"You sure?" Yumi questioned, raising an eyebrow. Ushio nodded at her.

"Yeah... If he wants to spend his time with her then who am I to stop him."

"Still, she's an attention seeker... She probably makes him feel guilty or something" Yumi muttered.

"Don't be like that" Ushio said, as she gave her a smile, one which usually lit up the whole room. "I'm sure she's a nice girl."

"Yeah Yumi, besides If I had a choice between hanging out with you guys or going on a date then you know which I'd pick" Takeshi grinned. Yumi and Ushio looked at each other, then to Takeshi, then back to each other... They then began to laugh uncontrollably at the boy. "What?!" Takeshi yelled.

"Yeah, okay Takeshi... You with a date" Yumi laughed. Takeshi sat back down and folded his arms. Ushio let out a sigh as she spoke.

"We shouldn't be talking and laughing about these things... Not now" She muttered.

"You're right" Yumi replied.

"Who cares, the guy was a dick to Juni" Takeshi groaned.

"But he's still his father" Yumi remarked. Takeshi also sighed.

"Yeah... I suppose you're right."

At Mayumi's house Kaito and Mayumi were sat on the sofa in her living room. They were watching an old film together. "Are you okay?" Mayumi asked.

"Hmm?"

"I asked if you were okay" She stated.

"Oh, yeah... Just thinking" Kaito replied, looking back to the TV.

"Whatcha' thinking about?" She said in a cheerful tone as she smiled.

"My, my friend's dad got into an accident last night" Kaito sighed.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Nah, it's okay. It's not that I like the guy or anything; he was a complete tool but I dunno. Juni, my friend, didn't seem too bothered about it."

"Did they get along?" Mayumi asked as she put the film on pause. Kaito turned to face her.

"No, not at all."

"Then that's probably why" She said. Kaito went quiet for a moment.

"...But family is family" He replied, letting out a sigh. Mayumi nodded at his words as she spoke.

"Why don't we change the subject?"

"Sure" Kaito smiled.

"Koharu spoke to me the yesterday" She said.

"Yumi?" Kaito questioned as Mayumi nodded.

"Yep, she came up to me and told me I was interfering."

"With what?" Kaito laughed.

"I'm not sure..." Mayumi sighed.

"Well, I'll talk to her. I mean, what we do is none of her business right?" Kaito smiled.

"Right" Mayumi nodded, returning the smile.

Juni who was still walking down the halls of the hospital, suddenly stopped. He could hear something near by, he could hear someone crying. Looking around, he saw a dimly lit room where the echoing cries were coming from. The door was open so Juni moved over, peering inside. The room was fairly empty, the only thing that sat in there was a few boxes a medical equipment. Yet, behind one of the boxes, there sat a little girl. She had a blue beanie hat on and bright, misty, yellow eyes. She also wore a white gown; Juni instantly assumed that she was a patient. "Do you need some help?" Juni asked as the little girl looked up. She looked to be around 6 years old.

"Are you here to take me away?" The girl asked.

"No" Juni replied, shaking his head.

"The bad men are here to get me" She said, wiping a tear from her eye. Juni knelt down besides her, the girl got up onto her knees as she made room for the red headed boy.

"The bad men?" Juni questioned. The little girl nodded.

"They're gonna put me to sleep" She winced. Juni looked at the girl as he smiled.

"You're a patient right?"

"Pay-shent?" The girl repeated.

"Yeah, you're here because you need to get better?" Juni asked in a comforting manner.

"Yes" The girl nodded with a frown.

"The bad men, they're the ones in the white coats right?"

"Yes" The girl said again. Juni let out a little chuckle.

"My dad is in here as a patient as well. He needs to get better right now..." Juni sighed.

"Is he sick?" The little girl asked.

"Yeah" Juni nodded "Yeah, he's sick" Juni smiled.

"Don't you want to cry?" The little girl asked in her innocent tone.

"I'm not sure what I want to do" Juni replied. The little girl looked into Juni's eyes as he spoke again. "I thought I was going to lose him, that I wouldn't be able to see him again."

"Is he asleep?"

"Yeah... But he's going to be fine now. Those men in the white coats saved him." The girl's eyes lit up.

"So... So they aren't the bad men?" She wondered. Juni laughed at her words.

"No, no of course not." He smiled; looking back to the girl he spoke again. "Do you know why you're sick?" Juni asked, still holing his friendly smile. The girl looked down for a moment and then back up to Juni. She raised her hand and took a hold of the blue hat on top of her head. Taking it off, she revealed her smooth head, hairless. Juni's smile left his face.

"My daddy says I have bad stuff inside me. So, the men made my hair fall out and now they're going to take the bad stuff out of me." She replied. "I saw my daddy cry last night. I don't know if I'm gonna be okay..."

"You'll be fine" Juni said with a hopeful smile. "You're daddy will protect you."

"That's what he says" She smiled.

"Did you run away then? Is that why you're here?"

"I'm scared I won't wake up" She replied, then, looking to Juni she smiled. "Daddy won't let that happen will he?"

"No, he won't" Juni stated.

Back at Mayumi's, the film had almost ended as Kaito felt something hit is shoulder. Looking to his left he saw Mayumi leaning on him. She had fallen asleep during the film. Kaito was unsure of what to do, should he wake her? Should he move her away? Should he just leave? He didn't know. Contemplating the situation for a moment he looked back at Mayumi. She looked very peaceful resting on Kaito. Deciding to leave her there for the time being, Kaito reached for the remote next to Mayumi, switching off the TV he was left in there in the quiet living room, all alone with Mayumi. Her parents had gone out for the night; they wouldn't be back until late. "At least they won't walk in on this" Kaito mumbled to himself. As he sat there, Kaito's mind began to wander, as it often did. He thought of Juni and he thought of Takeshi. He couldn't understand how both of their relationships with their fathers worked out the way they had. His mind wandered to Kumiko, how was she handling everything over at the hospital? He thought of Yumi and what she could have possibly meant by 'interfering'. Then, finally, his mind landed on Ushio. That one person he always came back to... Mayumi began to stir as she raised her head off of Kaito.

"I must have nodded off" She yawned with a stretch.

"Yeah..." Kaito smiled.

"You're pretty comfy to be honest" She giggled.

"Yeah, listen, I should probably be going. I've got things I need to do at home."

"Oh, okay" Mayumi nodded. She stood up as Kaito slipped his shoes on. They made their way to the front door of the house. Kaito opened it as he turned to face Mayumi.

"Thanks for tonight" He smiled.

"Yeah, I had a good time" She replied, Kaito nodded. Mayumi came close to Kaito as she placed her hands around him, hugging him in the process. Kaito was still for a moment, then he placed an arm around her.

"I'll see you later" He said as he was released.

"See you" She smiled. Kaito then headed off down the street in the direction of his home.

Yumi had just gone down stairs to put a pizza in the oven a Takeshi and Ushio still watched the TV in her room. Takeshi looked over to her as he spoke. "Yanno..." He began.

"Yanno what?" Ushio questioned.

"You're gonna have to tell him soon" He stated. "I mean practically everyone knows besides him."

"I think he might know..." Ushio sighed.

"Nah, he's pretty clueless about something's."

"I don't want to just tell him though" Ushio replied. Takeshi smiled at her.

"...I still think you should tell him."

"What about you? Why don't you tell Koharu?" Ushio questioned. Takeshi went quiet.

"That's different, completely different" He replied.

"Sure it is" Ushio remarked, just then her phone gave a buzz. She picked it up to check it. "Kumi says that Juni's been gone for a while. She doesn't know what to do."

"Why doesn't she just call him?" Takeshi asked.

"He isn't answering; she says he mustn't have his phone with him."

"Tell her to stay with his mom, Juni will come back." Ushio nodded at his words as she typed the message and sent it to her friend.

Juni walked hand in hand with the little girl down the hall. "My room is around here" She stated. They turned a corner as they saw man sat out side the girl's room; he had his head in his hands. "Daddy!" The girl cried as she let go of Juni's hands and ran towards her father. The man looked up as tears fell off of his cheeks. Putting out his arms he embraced the little girl.

"Oh, Atsuko! My little Suko, I thought I'd lost you" He wept, holding his daughter close. Looking up the man saw Juni.

"You found her?" He asked. Juni nodded at the man. "Thank you, thank you so much!" He beamed.

"It's fine" Juni smiled. Looking around, Juni noticed that the man was completely alone. "Where are the rest of your family, are they still looking for her?"

"No, the nurses were looking for her, they told me to stay in case she came back and she did..." He smiled. "She's all I have" He stated. Juni went quiet.

"I see" He said, giving the man a weak smile. The man continued to cry tears of joy. The little girl looked into her father's eyes as she placed her hands on his cheeks.

"Don't cry daddy" She smiled, wiping the tears off his cheeks. "I'm fine, everything will be okay" She said in her sweet voice.

"I know baby" He smiled.

"I-I have to get going" Juni said, the girl and her father looked to him.

"Thank you again" The father smiled.

"Goodbye, I hope your daddy is okay" She smiled. Juni hesitated before waving to them. He then walked away and turned aound the corner, wiping a tear from his eye as he did.

"He's doing really well in cla-" Kumiko stated before the door opened. Juni stood there, looking inside.

"You're awake" Juni said as he looked at his father. Kumiko had been speaking with him as she looked to Junko. She gestured to her as they both stood up and walked over to Juni.

"We're going to get something to eat" Junko said as she kissed her son on the cheek. Passing by, Kumiko gave Juni a smile.

"I'm glad you came back" She said before exiting the room. The door closed behind them as Juni and his father were left there. Letting out a sigh and approaching the bed Isao began to speak.

"This is not how I imagined I would die. Lying here looking at m-"

"You're not dying dad."

"Still..."

"They said it was a hit and run... I don't think that really applies if both of you were driving but still. You must've scared the guy off." Juni replied as Isao nodded.

"Where have you been staying?"

"I stopped with Kaito for a night, now I'm at Kumiko's."

"Your girlfriend's?" Isao asked; Juni nodded.

"She seems nice" Isao remarked.

"She is" Juni replied. Letting out a sigh Isao spoke again.

"Did I ever tell you about the time your grandfather died?"

"You were 10 right?"

"12" Isao said, correcting his son. "12 years old" He began. "My father was always trying to bring me up best he could, he tried to set me on a certain path. Then, the cancer hit and it took him."

"Yeah..." Juni sighed.

"From then on, I tried to do the things the way he would want me to... Be the man he thought I should be." Isao gave a weak smile to his son. "I think I lost my way a little bit."

"Dad, you don't have t-"

"Junichiro... Juni" He smiled. "I know I've always been hard on you, pushed you. Since the moment I made you leave our home, it's eaten away at me. Your mother has barely spoken to me... And now, after nearly losing my life, it is only now that I see how awful I have been."

"Look, dad you don't have to explain anything to me."

"Son, I'm not trying to justify my actions of late but just know that everything I did I did with the best intentions" He sighed.

"I do know..." Juni smiled. Isao nodded at his son.

"Maybe, maybe after a while you could come home. When things are sorted out" Isao smiled. "In the sate I'm in, I don't think I'm truly fit to be your father right now." Juni looked at his father, glancing over his body he examined the casts on his legs and left arm. Juni nodded at his father who returned the nod.

"They look like they itch..." Juni smirked. Isao grinned at his son.

"I'm just glad I can feel them" He chuckled.

A while later, Kumiko and Junko had returned. Junko was beginning to fuss over Isao. "I'm just glad you're awake" She said, cleaning his face with a wash cloth.

"Yeah, me too" Isao groaned as he swatted away the constant dabs of the cloth on his head.

"Just let me clean you up Isao" She smiled.

"Fine" Isao sighed. Juni and Kumiko were sat in the seats across the room.

"You can still stay at mine if you want?" Kumiko suggested.

"Thanks" Juni smiled "I think these two just need some time, you know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean" Kumiko nodded as Juni took her hand in his. One of nurses entered the room.

"How are we doing?" She asked with a smile.

"Just fine" Isao said in a dry tone. The nurse laughed him off.

"Now, you're going to need to stay in for a few nights."

"Why?" Junko asked as she began to worry.

"We just need to keep an eye on his vital signs and general health. It was a pretty nasty accident, it's quite surprising you woke as early as you did" She smiled.

"Lucky me" Isao chuckled. "Don't worry Junko, I'll be fine as long as the foods decent" He smiled.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about that" The nurse laughed.

"Then I'm sorted" Isao replied. Juni looked on at his father with a small smile on his face.

Ushio, Yumi and Takeshi were finishing their pizza as Ushio's phone began to ring. Picking it up she held it to her ear. "Aki?" She said as the answered.

"Ushio! Is your boyfriend there?" He asked.

"For the hundredth time I don't have one." Takeshi and Yumi turned their attention to Ushio.

"Then is the blond kid there?" Akio asked.

"Takeshi? Sure" Ushio replied. Takeshi wondered what was happening. Ushio handed the phone to him. "He wants to speak to you" She said. Takeshi took the phone from her hand.

"Hello?" He asked. Ushio watched Takeshi speak to her grandfather. "Uhuh... Sure... ... Okay, I'll try and see if the-... Yeah okay... See ya" Hanging up the phone, Takeshi handed it back to Ushio.

"What did he want?" She asked. Takeshi smiled as he let out a laugh.

"Your grandfather wants me, Kaito and Juni to play soccer with him this weekend."

"Oh... I thought he had forgotten about that" Ushio sighed.

"What's so bad about that?" Yumi asked.

"Yeah..." Takeshi added. Ushio looked at him.

"Oh, trust me, you'll find out" She laughed.

**~*33*~**


	34. The Frightful Five

**~*34*~**

Running through the fields, the boy came to a stop. He noticed a figure up ahead, across the ever expanding horizon. The boy pressed on as he chased the figure, calling out to it. Then, he lost sight of it, was it all in his head? He didn't know. Looking up to the sky he saw the many lights that seemed to always dance up above him, he knew he would not find this person, this figure, perhaps it was a mirage, perhaps a phantom. Still he pressed on, continuously running through the fields, never stopping, always running.

January 21st, 2024.

It's Sunday today, Takeshi, Juni and Kaito are all going to play soccer with Ushio's granddad. Kumi, Ushio and I are all going to watch, it should be fun!  
>Juni's father was in an accident the other day. He's woken up and he and Juni seem to be getting along, so Kumi says.<br>There's been no change with my brother, not that we were expecting any.

- Yumi

"So when are Ushio and Kuni coming?" Takeshi asked as he, Yumi and Kaito sat inside the Furukawa's bakery, waiting for their friends to arrive. It was the day of the big soccer game and Akio had invited the boys to play.

"Kuni?" Yumi asked, raising an eyebrow at the boy.

"Yeah... Yanno I ship Kumi and Juni so Kuni sounds about right."

"He 'ships' them?" Akio whispered as he looked to Kaito. Kaito shrugged at the man.

"Half the time I don't have a clue what Keshi is going on about..." Kaito chuckled.

"I don't know about Kuni" Yumi remarked "Kuni sounds like a growth on the bottom of your foot."

"That's disgusting" Tomoya said with a laugh.

"That's Yumi for ya!" Takeshi bellowed. Suddenly Yumi's fist found its way to Takeshi's back. "Ow!" He cried as the punch connected.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean? You think I'm disgusting?" Yumi yelled.

"No! No! In fact you're very hygienic Yumi!" Takeshi whimpered.

"Should I take that as a compliment?" Yumi asked.

"I would" Nagisa smiled as she entered the living room from the kitchen, Sanae followed from behind. Yumi let out a sigh.

"Fair enough."

"I'm more partial to Jumi" Kaito smirked as Yumi and Takeshi both rolled their eyes at him.

Kumiko, Ushio and Juni made their way to the front of the bakery as Ushio pushed the door open to enter. "Finally!" Akio groaned as he heard the little bell ring. Exiting the living room he made his way to the bakery's front entrance. "Hey kiddo!" He beamed as he gave Ushio a hug.

"Hey Aki" Ushio smiled.

"How're you all doing?" Akio asked, looking to Juni and Kumiko.

"Good, thank you" Kumiko nodded.

"You all ready for the big game?" Akio asked, grinning at Juni.

"I suppose... Just to let you know, I'm not very good."

"Bah! The punk sucks anyway so you're not alone, besides, we need to numbers" Akio roared with a laugh.

"Aki!" Ushio scolded, folding her arms. Akio let out a sigh as he looked over to the shelves of bread.

"You guys want some free stuff for the road?" He asked, pointing to some rather suspicious looking bread rolls.

"Oh, we couldn't" Kumiko smiled.

"Nonsense" Akio replied, picking up a few pieces of bread he handed one to Juni. It was a rather unusual colour. After all, Juni had never seen turquoise bread before.

"What's wrong with it?" Juni asked in a curious tone.

"What'cha mean kid?"

"Is it supposed to be this colour?"

"Yeah..." Akio sighed "They're never gonna freaking sell if we can't give out free samples!" He yelled "Sanae's bread looks pretty mouldy right?"

"Um, Aki..." Ushio said as she pointed behind him. Turning around Akio was met with the tear filled face of Sanae.

"So... So my bread... Just looks mouldy to you Akio, is that right!" She cried as she ran out of the bakery's door.

"Sanae!" Akio cried as he filled his mouth with the bread he had in his hands. "I- Wuv... Th-m!" He mumbled as he chased after her. Juni was left bewildered as Kumiko and Ushio began to laugh at Akio and Sanae's usual antics.

"What do ya mean we're not playing the Tigers today?!" Akio moaned as he stood at the counter of the sports hall. It was a large, dome like building with several 5-aside soccer pitches. Each pitch was surrounded by a cage and the ceiling was covered in netting so the ball wouldn't fly out of the area. To the side of each pitch lay a few benches so spectators could sit down and watch.

"What's going on?" Kappei asked as he, Ryou and Kyou arrived.

"Hey pal" Tomoya smiled as he turned to face Kappei.

"Apparently, we're not playing the team we were supposed to be playing" Yusuke replied. He, along with Fuko and Kouko had arrived a few minutes before Kappei.

"So who are we playing?" Kappei asked.

"We're playing the Frightful Five" Akio sighed as he rejoined the group.

"Great..." Kappei sighed.

"What's so bad about that?" Takeshi asked.

"They can get a bit rough" Tomoya replied. Juni looked to Kaito with a worried look.

"Don't worry guys!" Kyou smiled as she placed her hands on Kaito and Juni's shoulders. "You'll do fine!"

Kaito, Juni, Takeshi, Akio, Yusuke, Kappei and Tomoya all stood inside the caged pitch, warming up. Their uniforms consisted of a slim fitting, striped, red and black shirt along with dark shorts, socks and sneakers. The pitch was made up of fake turf so studded boots were not allowed to be worn. Yumi, Kumiko, Ushio, Nagisa, Sanae, Ryou, Kyou, Fuko and Kouko all sat off to the side on the benches. "Sister, is weird guy good at this game?" Fuko asked as she looked to Ushio.

"Honestly Fu-Chan I have no idea" She laughed in reply. Kappei was talking through the netting to Ryou.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright with your leg?" Ryou asked with a worried smile.

"Of course, the doctors said not to worry anymore remember?" Kappei replied, Ryou nodded as she took her seat.

"He'll be fine" Nagisa smiled as Ryou sat down next to her.

"I hope so" She said, letting out a sigh. Just then a group of five rather large, beefy men approached the pitch. The majority of them were bald, except one who had a blonde-dyed Mohawk. Their uniforms were completely black. As they entered the cage, a few of them had to turn sideways to enter.

"Jesus Christ..." Takeshi gasped as he saw the size of the captain. The one with the Mohawk had a large white band around his arm. Akio turned to Tomoya as he extended his arm, holding out a red band.

"Take it" The man said.

"What? Why me?" Tomoya asked.

"I'm not going up to shake his hand, you're the captain now" Akio stated, shoving the band around Tomoya's arm.

"You're such a wuss old man!" Tomoya hissed.

"No arguments here" Akio replied as Tomoya let out a sigh.

"Those men do look rather scary..." Kouko sighed as she looked on at the players.

"I hope they'll all be okay" Kumiko added.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Yusuke, Akio, Tomoya and Kappei will look after the boys" Sanae smiled.

"Yeah, moms right" Nagisa nodded.

"Okay, captain's approach" A man said. He wore a yellow uniform with whistle around his neck, he was the referee. Tomoya walked forwards as the man with the Mohawk joined him.

"Hang on" Takeshi said. "There are only five of them..."

"Yep, the Frightful Five" Akio nodded "They don't get tired so they don't need subs."

"Great" Takeshi said in a sarcastic tone. Tomoya returned from his meeting with the other captain.

"They received the ball first..." He sighed.

"Okay, Juni, Kappei. You two start on the bench. Yusuke you're pretty good in goals so cover them." Yusuke nodded at Akio. "Takeshi and I shall cover defence and Tomoya, Kaito, you two take upfront."

"Sounds good" Kaito nodded.

"Yeah, I'm best in defence" Takeshi added.

"Good, because we'll need it" Akio smiled.

Tomoya stood in the middle of the pitch as he had the ball at his feet. "Today's match is between the Frightful Five and the Baker Boys!" The referee yelled.

"Baker Boys?" Takeshi asked.

"Just go with it" Akio replied.

"Good luck teams, Frightful Five, your kick off." Tomoya passed the ball to the other team's captain who gave a grin as he caught the ball with his feet. Another large man joined him as they knocked the ball between them. The referee gave a whistle as the game began.

It had reached half-time. Akio and the others had been playing for 25 minutes. Akio sat on the bench along with the others, breathing heavily. The score had come to 4-0, to the Frightful Five. "They're too good..." Akio sighed.

"Look, maybe we just need to mix it up a bit" Tomoya stated.

"How so?"

"Akio, you're exhausted" Kappei stated. "Let me go on for you." Akio nodded at the man.

"Yeah" He said "Okay."

"Yusuke" Tomoya said "We'll bring on Juni for you, I can go in goals. Kaito and Juni take defence, Takeshi and Kappei upfront?" He suggested.

"I'm down for that" Takeshi nodded.

"Yeah that sounds fine" Yusuke stated.

"I don't kno-" Juni began.

"Come on man, you'll be fine" Takeshi said.

"Yeah, don't worry about it" Kaito nodded. Juni looked to Kumiko who smiled in return.

"Okay, let's do it" Juni nodded.

10 minutes later the Baker Boys had gone up by 2 goals. "Doing great Keshi!" Kaito yelled down the pitch. His friend gave a thumbs up as he grinned. Tomoya rolled the ball to Kaito.

"Take it up!" Tomoya ordered as Kaito nodded. He dribbled the ball forwards, taking it past two of the opposing team's players. They cursed and swore as Kaito swiftly made his way past them. He passed the ball over to Kappei.

"Takeshi!" Kappei yelled as he flicked the ball up over the line of defence. Takeshi caught the ball from the cross and knocked it into the net.

"Great job Takeshi!" Yumi shouted as the she and the others cheered for him.

"That's 4-3 now" Kouko smiled.

"They may actually win this time!" Sanae beamed.

"This time?" Kumiko asked. Sanae looked to Nagisa who laughed.

"My dad hardly ever wins at soccer... It's not exactly his game" She smiled.

"I see" Kumiko replied.

"Go weird guys! Fuko is here! F-U-K-O!" Fuko roared.

"Fu-Chan, if you're cheering for them it should be for them, not you" Ushio laughed.

"Oh... Weird guy, weird guy!" Fuko cheered.

"I hate that..." Kaito sighed. Suddenly one of the opposing players was in front of Kaito, bringing the ball upwards.

"Get him Kaito!" Kappei yelled as Kaito became alert to the situation. However, The man had gone past Kaito already and was making his way towards the Baker Boys' goal.

"Juni!" Kaito cried as he looked on. Juni watched as the large man came sprinting forwards to him. It was the man with the Mohawk, the captain. Juni reacted in an unexpected way, as soon the man came up to him he took his legs. Slipping the ball out from underneath him he knocked it back as it rolled towards Kaito. The man came to a stop behind Juni. Kaito reached the ball and passed it down towards Kappei who took it towards Takeshi.

"Nice one Juni!" Kaito yelled but as he turned around he saw the large man yelling at Juni.

"You little shit, fucking foul!" He yelled.

"S-sorry bu-" Juni stuttered.

"Leave the kid alone!" Tomoya yelled from the goals.

"Piss off man!" Kaito yelled as he pulled the man away from Juni.

"Fuck off ya little prick!" The large man yelled. In that moment, the man had grabbed Kaito by the neck and had pushed him up against the cage door. The girls ran up to the cage, shouting at the man to let Kaito go.

"Get off of him!" Kyou yelled as she bashed on the door. The man didn't let up. From down the pitch Takeshi and Kappei saw what was going on. Leaving the ball they jogged towards the panic.

"Kaito!" Takeshi cried yet, as Kaito's face began to turn red the man suddenly let go. Tomoya had come up behind the man and spun him around; his fist darted out, connecting with the man's face which sent him spiralling to the floor. The referee blew his whistle.

"Stop! Stop!" He yelled. The man rose back up yet Kappei darted in front of him.

"Back off" Kappei said dryly, the man did as he was told. Tomoya and Juni helped Kaito to his feet. He was breathing weakly as his eyes watered.

"Ryou" Tomoya said "Make sure he's okay" He said as he led Kaito off of the pitch. Ryou nodded as she took Kaito hand and sat him down. The girls began to crowd around him. Akio walked onto the pitch.

"Okay, you guys are disqualified. I am not condoning that kind of thing here" The referee stated, looking to the man with the Mohawk.

"Great job you prick!" One of his team mates yelled as they exited the cage.

"And you're banned!" The referee added.

"Fuck sake!" Another one of the men yelled. Their captain followed as he hung his head.

"I'm so sorry" The referee said.

"It's fine" Akio nodded.

"You have about 15 minutes left, you can have a kick about and today's price will be refunded. Akio thanked the man as he told the others that they could play a game.

"I don't think he can" Ryou stated as she dabbed at Kaito's neck with a wet cloth. Kaito winced as she dabbed a cut. "He must have dug his nails into you."

"Can't we report him, you know for child abuse or something like that?!" Ushio questioned.

"No, no!" Kaito groaned. "I'm fine, just you guys go play. I'll sit here." He sighed. Akio nodded as he gave a smile.

"Come on then!" He laughed as he, Kappei and Yusuke went onto the pitch.

"You gonna be okay?" Takeshi asked.

"Yeah go play" Takeshi nodded and joined the others.

"Kyou, Yumi... Why don't you guys go play? I'm gonna sit here with Kaito for a bit" Tomoya stated.

"Yeah sure" Yumi grinned as she and Kyou joined the others on the pitch.

"Fuko and Kouko want to play!" Fuko stated as she dragged her sister onto the pitch. Ryou, Sanae, Nagisa, Tomoya, Ushio, Kumiko, Kaito and Juni were the only ones left on the sidelines.

"I'm sorry man... I should've done something" Juni sighed.

"It's fine" Kaito smiled.

"Go play as well" Tomoya said, gesturing for Juni to join the others. He nodded and smiled as he entered the caged pitch, Kumiko followed behind.

"You were good, you know" She smiled as she linked arms with Juni.

"Are you okay?" Tomoya asked.

"Yeah, fine" Kaito nodded.

"Ushio, hold this on his neck please" Ryou said as Ushio took hold of the damp cloth. She and Kaito shared a smile.

"I am sorry; we knew these guys were rough... We shouldn't have let you guys play" Tomoya stated.

"For what it's worth, I had fun" Kaito laughed. Tomoya grinned slightly as they watched the others continue to play soccer. Fuko had just fallen over as Yusuke had gone to her rescue.

"Well, you did good kid" Tomoya smiled.

"Thanks" Kaito replied, returning the smile. Ushio, Sanae and Nagisa looked on at the two. The three of them also shared a smile as they watched Tomoya and Kaito converse about, well, anything and everything.

**~*34*~**

_Thank you Hernobleness, well, you know what for :)_


	35. Country Train

**~*35*~**

"I have to get going soon gran" Kaito smiled as he sat down in his living room with his grandmother. Sayuri shook her head.

"No, no" She said.

"Yes gran, you remember what day it today right? My friends and I are doing something... I'll be back tonight and we can have dinner together, okay?"

"No, no... Not now" Sayuri muttered as a tear came to her eye. Mrs Nakano approached the two of them. Kaito looked to her.

"I'm not so sure I should leave" Kaito sighed.

"She'll be fine when you go" Mrs Nakano stated "She always is."

"I suppose" Kaito said as he stood up, his gaze fell back to Sayuri. "I dunno though, it's just, she seems different today... Weaker or something" He said, looking into his grandmothers eyes. She still continued to shake her head at him. Just then, there was a knock at the front door. "That'll be them" Kaito stated.

"Go" Mrs. Nakano smiled "Have a good time with your friends, we'll be okay." Kaito nodded at her as he knelt down to his grandmother.

"I'm going now gran" Kaito said.

"My boy, my..." She mumbled.

"I love you" Kaito smiled. Sayuri looked back into his eyes as she nodded.

"Love you..." She uttered. Kaito hugged her goodbye as he made for the door. Opening it he was met with Juni and Takeshi.

"Happy birthday bro!" Takeshi grinned.

"Happy birthday Kaito" Juni smiled.

"Thanks guys" Kaito nodded.

"You ready?" Takeshi asked. Taking a look back into the house Kaito saw his grandmother staring at him, giving a smile and turning back around he spoke.

"Yeah, let's go."

Ushio, Yumi and Kumiko were waiting outside the train station of their town. Across from they lay a large courtyard, the different paths and roads which trailed off from the courtyard all lead to different parts of the shopping district. They were wearing simple summer clothes, despite it being near the end of winter it was surprisingly warm. They also had several large bags with them. "Where are they?" Yumi asked.

"They should be here any minute now" Kumiko replied.

"Someone's always late" Yumi said, shaking her head.

"I hope they hurry up, Takeshi's cakes are going to get cold" Ushio stated.

"You're supposed to eat them cooled" Kumiko laughed.

"Yes, but they always taste great when they're fresh" Ushio smiled.

"There they are!" Yumi grinned as she saw the three boys approach. "Happy birthday!"

"Yes, happy birthday Kaito" Kumiko smiled.

"Happy birthday" Ushio added as she also gave the boy a smile.

"Thanks" Kaito said, his eyes turned to the large bags that accompanied the girls. "What's in there?" He asked.

"Oh, yanno, things" Ushio laughed.

"Right..." Kaito nodded.

"Come on!" Takeshi bellowed "We'll be late for the train!"

"About that, where are we going?" Kaito asked.

"It's a surprise" Ushio smiled as they picked up the bags and began to walk inside the station.

"Have I been there before?" Kaito asked.

"Probably not" She laughed.

"Right..." Kaito said, echoing his previous words.

The train consisted of rows of two chairs, two at either side of the train with a gap running down the middle for passengers to walk through. The six of them managed to find two sets of four chairs with tables in the middle of both sets. Juni, Kumiko, Yumi and Ushio sat on one side, Juni and Yumi took the window seats. Takeshi and Kaito were sat at the other side, Takeshi took a window seat, with his legs stretched out to the opposite chair, and Kaito had the isle seat. "So, how long does this train take?" Takeshi asked.

"Well, when I was little, around 5 years old, my parents used to bring me to the place we're going. It took quite a long time to get their with a few train changes, sometimes we would spend the night in a hotel half way through." She smiled.

"You are aware we're in school tomorrow, right?" Takeshi laughed.

"I know" Ushio nodded "But, there's newer lines that have been built which makes the journey much, much shorter."

"Plus, trains are a lot more efficient than 12 years or so ago" Juni added.

"That too" Ushio smiled. "So, an hour till we need to change and then another hour or so... Tops" She laughed.

"So, we'll arrive for six or so?" Yumi asked.

"Yep" Ushio nodded. "If we leave around 10 o'clock we should be okay" She smiled.

"Sounds good" Takeshi nodded. Kaito sat at the table with his cheek resting on his palm. Looking out of the window he watched the landscape fly by him. He kept thinking back to his grandmother, perhaps he shouldn't have left her?

"Are you okay?" Kumiko asked as she saw Kaito pondering something in his head. Kaito turned to see the others looking at him.

"Fine" He smiled. They smiled back, knowing from experience not to push the matter further.

The train came to a stop as the six of them stood up to exit the train. Ushio was about to grab a large bag as Kaito stopped her. "I've go this one" He smiled.

"Oh, no, that's fine" She smiled back.

"Seriously Ushio, this one looks heavy" Kaito laughed.

"No, Kaito. I've got it" She said, widening her eyes.

"Okay then..." Kaito sighed as he walked past her towards the train's doors, ready to exit in order to get the next train.

The group were sat on the last train, this time in simple sets of two. Kaito sat with Takeshi, Yumi sat with Ushio and Kumiko sat with Juni. "You doing okay?" Takeshi asked.

"Huh?" Kaito responded.

"Well, when you left home you seemed a bit down, I thought it might be something with your gran."

"Oh, yeah Keshi, I'm fine" Kaito nodded as he returned his gaze to the window. "You know, I think I like riding on trains, it takes my mind off of things."

"Fair enough man" Takeshi laughed. "These express trains are pretty sweet ey?"

"Yeah man, they're not bad."

After a few hours of travel they came to their final stop. Exiting the train the six of them found themselves on a platform. As they stepped out they face acres of fields and hills. Looking out onto the distance Kaito spoke. "This place seems familiar" He said.

"Really?" Yumi asked.

"Yeah... I don't know why" He stated.

"Come on" Ushio smiled as she gestured with her head. "It's over this way."

They followed Ushio along a trail which took them past several wheat fields. Kaito couldn't help commenting on how familiar the place felt again. Coming to the end of the trail they came out over a small hill. Another trail went up to the right up a taller hill with stone steps. To the left, down a small banking lay a large field filled with large flowers and wheat. "Here it is" Ushio smiled.

"We're having a picnic by the way" Yumi added.

"Oh..." Kaito uttered as he looked out on the field.

"What's the matter?" Ushio asked "Don't you like it?" She said with a frown.

"No, it's not that... It's great, honestly" He smiled. Ushio smiled back at him.

A while later the six of them had set down a blanket on the banking as Ushio produce a basket full of food. "Okay, so we have anpan, nikuman, fried rice, fish..." Takeshi said, checking off each item.

"Did you make all of this Keshi?" Kaito asked.

"Me and Ushio" He chuckled.

"Thanks" Kaito smiled.

"Its fine" She replied.

"Let's do the present first!" Yumi bellowed.

"You sure?" Juni questioned.

"Yes!" She beamed as she searched through a bag, pulling out a card and a small wrapped package.

"Open the card first" Kumiko smiled. Kaito thank them as he took the card and opened it. On the front sat several banners and party poppers.

"Yeah... We didn't really know what card to get you" Takeshi laughed. Kaito read the inside of the card.

"To Kaito" He began "We hope you like the present, we all chipped in together. We hope you have a happy birthday, love Juni, Kumiko, Takeshi, Ushio and Yumi." He let out a laugh "Love?"

"You know it" Takeshi said with a wink as the others laughed.

"Here" Yumi said as she extended her arms, giving Kaito the present. He shook it as he took it from her. Examining it he noticed the masses of tape used to fasten the present.

"Juni's handy work" Takeshi smiled.

"What? I like to be thorough" Juni laughed. Kaito smiled at his friend as he began to unwrap the present. As he tore the paper off he knew exactly what his gift was. Inside the wrappings was a white box with a slim, rectangular shaped screen on it.

"Oh..." Kaito muttered.

"Do you like it?" Kumiko asked. Kaito's face turned to a frown.

"Guys... You really didn't have to do this."

"Come on it's not like it was that expensive between us" Takeshi stated.

"But this is the brand new model" Kaito said.

"We knew your phone was about 10 years old so we thought why not" Yumi said. Kaito let out a sigh as he cleared his throat.

"Thank you..." He said "I honestly don't think my thanks is enough though."

"That's all you need to say" Ushio smiled. Kaito nodded as he thanked each of his friends.

"Right!" Takeshi grinned "Onto the food!" They all dug in to the feast that Ushio and Takeshi had prepared.

"Well, I'm stuffed!" Kaito smiled as he lay back on the grass. He had just finished his last nikuman.

"I hope not" Juni laughed.

"Yeah, we've still got surprise number 2" Yumi added.

"What was surprise number 1? Bringing me here or the present?" Kaito asked.

"Oh... Well surprise number 3 then" Yumi laughed. "Takeshi, if you could do the honours?"

"Sure" He said, giving Yumi a wink. Takeshi reached into one of the bag as he pulled out another box. As he opened the lid a delicious smell of chocolate rose out. "Happy birthday man" He smiled, handing the box to Kaito. Kaito took it in his hands as a big grin came over his face.

"Did you make this Keshi?" Takeshi gave his friend a slight nod. Inside the box was a large chocolate cake. It had white icing that covered the top along with the words 'Happy Birthday Mr. Sakumoto' on it. "Mr Sakumoto?" Kaito asked, raising an eyebrow. Takeshi shrugged at his friend as Kaito thanked him.

"Okay" Ushio said "Light the candles."

"On it" Takeshi replied as he brought out a lighter and lit the 18 candles on the cake. After many attempts he finally got each and everyone lit.

"Make a wish" Kumiko smiled. Kaito closed his eyes as he thought for a moment. What could he wish for? He wasn't sure.

"Come on man!" Takeshi roared "The candles are gonna go out!" Kaito blew on the candles as each of them went out. The others clapped for him.

"What did you wish for?" Yumi asked.

"You know he can't tell!" Ushio said, waving her arms about.

"Yeah Yumi, you know I can't tell" Kaito said as he looked to Ushio with a smile.

Kaito and Juni hid among the overgrown grass and flowers. "What a stupid idea" Kaito sighed.

"Oh come on, hide and seek is pretty fun."

"Yes, when you're a 10 year old, I swear Keshi... His ideas tend to suck" Kaito smirked.

"Only 87.2% of the time to be exact" Juni laughed.

"You're making fun of me aren't you?"

"I would never dream of it" Juni smiled. Just then the two of them saw a figure come near then.

"Down" Kaito whispered. Takeshi was right in front of them, separated by several long strands of grass.

"We were already down" Juni retorted in a hush tone.

"It's a figure of speech."

"Is i-"

"Quiet" Kaito whispered. Takeshi turned the other way as he rushed off.

"Close" Juni said as he exhaled in relief. Kaito checked his new phone. "Has it all synced up yet?" Juni asked.

"Yeah..." Kaito replied in a weak tone.

"What's wrong?"

"I have 22 missed calls from my gran's carer..." Kaito stated. A worried look came over Juni's face. Kaito stood up as he began to walk over to the banking. Juni followed from behind. As Kaito came to the bottom of the banking Takeshi had seen them, he ran over placing his hands on Kaito's shoulders.

"Found you man!" He laughed. Kaito pushed his hand off of his shoulders as he made his way to the top of the small hill. "What's wrong with him?" Takeshi asked as he looked to Juni.

"Something's happened" Juni replied. The others, Yumi, Kumiko and Ushio, made their way over to the boys.

"What's wrong?" Ushio asked as they approached. Takeshi shrugged at her as they looked up to see Kaito making a call. As Kaito placed his phone up to his ear his beating heart ran along with the ringing of the phone.

"Kaito?!" The woman on the other end asked.

"Nakano, what's happened?" Kaito asked with a weak voice. "...W-..." Kaito's expression went blank as his face became whiter than his usual pale complexion.

"K-Kaito?" Ushio asked. Kaito turned away from his friends.

"Okay..." He said as he hung up the phone. As he did, he fell to his knees clutching the phone in his hands he brought his fist up to his head and leant on the floor. Takeshi and Juni ran up to their friend.

"Kaito, what's happened?!" Juni asked as he pulled Kaito up from the floor. Tears rolled down his cheeks. Kaito fell back down, landing in an upright position as his friends knelt down next to him, the girls approached, still standing.

"M-My gran..." Kaito uttered. They all knew exactly what he was about to say. "She died" He said, catching his breath as he wept. Juni placed his arm around Kaito as Kaito buried his head in Juni's shoulder. Juni's eyes met his friends as they each shared a look of shock.

"It'll be okay..." Juni mumbled. Kaito pushed away from him as he wiped his face and made for the larger hill up the trail.

"Kaito!" Takeshi cried. Kaito turned around and shook his head as he continued the up the large hill, taking to the steps. His five friends stood there, not knowing what to do.

Kaito came to the top of the hill; it was a beautiful sight that looked over a vast sea as the setting sun glazed over the ocean. This sight, however, was lost on Kaito as all that filled his mind was guilt and despair. He heard gentle footsteps approach from behind as he turned around. The others had followed him; they maintained their distance as Kaito looked back out onto the ocean. "I should have never left her" Kaito said as he sniffed. "I should've stayed."

"Kaito..." Ushio began "You can't blame yourself... Please." She said as tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

"I knew tha- I knew that I should've stayed..." He sighed.

"Ushio's right Kaito" Kumiko said. "There's nothing you could've don-"

"I could have been there!" Kaito yelled. "I _should_ have been there!"

"Kaito, just calm dow-" Takeshi began before Kaito raised his hand.

"Don't... Just don't" Kaito replied as he walked toward the edge of the cliff that overlooked the sea. There was a railing there which, he leant on. His friends came closer as Kaito hung his head. "She... She was the only family I had left..." Kaito said in a croaky voice. His friends all came over to him as they embraced him. They stood there for a long time, looking out on the distance, for the group was unsure if anything, from this day on, would be the same.

**~*35*~**

_Please refrain from posting spoilers about character's fates. If you wish to refer to such things then please use some form of spoiler tag or make subtle reference. Still, by all means leave your reviews as usual. Thank you for the continued support._


	36. Memories of a Distant Journey

**~*36*~**

He kept on running; chasing that phantom, that apparition he so wished to see. He ran across the growing landscape, never reaching its end. Never stopping, always running, never stopping, always running...

"Kaito" A voice said. As he was brought back to reality Kaito looked up. He saw the dull face of an elderly man, he wore a suit. Looking around, he saw his friends also dressed rather formally. Mr Miyagi was also stood across from him, giving a weak smile. Mrs. Nakano and Ryou were also present. "Kaito" The man said again. "Would you like to say a few words?" Kaito looked to the large headstone which lay in front of him 'Here lies Sayuri Sakumoto, loving wife, mother and grandmother. 1943 - 2024'.

"M-" Kaito uttered as he sighed. He had prepared a speech yet; he could not bring himself to say the words. "My... My gran..." He said as he wiped his tearful eyes. As brought his hand back down to his side he shook his head. "No, no I don't want to" He sighed. The man nodded.

"Very well" He said. Juni placed a hand on Kaito's shoulder in support. To Kaito's left he saw that Takeshi was stood with Yumi, arms crossed as Yumi lent her head on his shoulder. Kumiko was comforting Ushio off to the side.

Kaito along with Mr. Miyagi and the elderly man sat in the well lit office. There were book shelves that covered the walls along with a large desk and several leather chairs. Kaito sat on one side with Mr. Miyagi as the elderly man sat at the other, back turned to the window. "Really now, it's just a matter of Sayuri's will" He stated. Kaito didn't speak; he simply stared off into space.

"Kaito?" Mr. Miyagi asked, Kaito looked his way with his puffy red eyes. "We're doing the will okay?" His sensei said, Kaito nodded at the man.

"Right" The other man began "This is for you" He said as he handed an envelope to Kaito. His name was written across it. "Open it when you wish, it's just paper inside, I assume some kind of letter." Kaito nodded in reply. "Now, all of your grandmother's belonging have been left to you, as well as the rest of her money, well what was left of it."

"Left of it?" Mr. Miyagi asked.

"Yes, there was a fair bit of debt on her account along with the mortgage on the house which still hasn't been fully paid." Mr. Miyagi looked to Kaito; he was beginning to get worried. Looking back to the man he spoke again.

"So what's left of it?"

"Well, I shouldn't have said that. Strictly speaking there is no physical money left" He muttered. Mr. Miyagi looked towards Kaito again; he was slouched in his chair. Taking a breath Kaito spoke.

"Look, I don't care about the money, is this it? Can we leave?" He asked, turning to his teacher. "Please?"

"There's one more thing" The man said.

"What?"

"You're grandmother has left you the house, recently valued at 11,348,961 Yen. Since you have recently turned 18, you are free to do with the property as you please. Yet, there is still the mortgage to consider, so you may want to think about things before you make any decisions."

"Okay, great" Kaito said as he turned to Miyagi. "Please, can we go now?" He asked. Mr. Miyagi's eyes went misty as he gave a weak smile and nodded.

"Thank you for your time" Mr. Miyagi said as he shook the elderly man's hand, then, he and Kaito left the room.

Juni, Yumi, Takeshi, Kumiko and Ushio sat in the reference room at school. They were eating their lunch. "Do we even know how she died?" Takeshi asked.

"Kaito never said..." Ushio sighed.

"It doesn't really matter though, does it?" Yumi questioned. Kumiko shook her head.

"Not right now, no."

"Besides" Juni began "I don't think Kaito should be thinking about things like that. Right now, he just needs some support, even if that means staying away for a while."

"I suppose you're right" Takeshi sighed. "Still, this just doesn't feel right, being here without him..."

"It doesn't feel right at all" Ushio agreed.

"He didn't event come to the Founder's Festival" Yumi remarked.

"Yeah, but without you guys performing it blew" Takeshi replied.

"At least Kouko and Fuko had a good time" Kumiko smiled. Ushio nodded at her friend.

"Yeah, they always do."

Later that day Juni and Kumiko were walking along to his parent's house. As they made their way near the local park they looked over in the direction of Kaito's home. "Should we see if he's alright?" Asked Juni.

"But you said to leave him be" Kumiko replied. Juni nodded at her.

"I know but he hasn't answered his phone, replied to a text or even attended school... Nothing."

"Maybe... We could just go up to his house, see if he's in, if the lights are on?" Kumiko suggested.

"Alright" Juni smiled as they made their way over to Kaito's road.

Kaito sat in side his living room, on the floor, knees up to his chest in complete darkness. He had been there for a while, only moving to eat, use the toilet or sleep. Yet, those things were a rarity for him at the moment. As he sat there, contemplating his sorrows, he heard muffled voices coming from outside. He crawled over to the hallway which led to the front door of his house. Sitting in the door way he listened. "The lights aren't on" One voice said.

"It seems like all the curtains and blinds are shut though."

"Do you think he's in there?"

"I don't know..." Kaito could barely recognise the voices, yet, they did sound quite familiar.

"Kaito! If you can hear me, then just know... We're all here for you and we miss you!"

"Come on..." One of the voices said as Kaito heard muffled footsteps walk away. Kaito wiped his eyes as he slumped over towards the kitchen. Opening the fridge he looked in on the bare shelves as he sighed.

"Suppose I'll have to go shopping..." He mumbled.

"Maybe Junichiro is right?" Tomoya suggested as he, Nagisa and Ushio sat at the dinner table.

"Maybe..." Ushio sighed.

"Look, Sakumoto is going through something's right now" Nagisa smiled. "We've all been through things similar."

"It's like the time we lost granddad" Tomoya stated as he picked up some rice with his chopsticks. "We all took it hard but, it just takes time" He smiled. Nagisa placed a hand on Tomoya's arm as they shared a smile.

"You're dad's right sweetie. He just needs a bit of time." Ushio let out another sigh as she continued to eat her dinner.

Juni and Kumiko sat down with Junko. They had been paying her visits more frequently lately. "So when's he coming out?" Juni asked.

"They said tomorrow, which is a relief" Junko smiled.

"I never knew he would have to stay in for so long" Kumiko remarked.

"Yes, it does seem unusual. Still, I'm glad he's alright... Everything seems to be sorting itself out right now" Stated Junko.

"Yeah" Kumiko smiled.

"How is your friend doing?" Junko asked as she looked to Juni.

"Oh, yeah he's okay I suppose. I think he's just having a break from everything right now..." Juni sighed.

"Well, I'm sure he'll be alright" Junko said with a sweet smile, Juni nodded at his mother unsure as to whether or not she was right.

Kaito made his way up his road. He had a few bags of shopping with him. His hair was greasy, he had stubble which covered his chin and a foul smell followed him. As he approached his messy garden he saw a familiar face. Mr. Miyagi was sat outside his front door, smiling at him. "I knocked, you weren't in so I thought I'd wait" He said.

"Right..." Kaito replied with a nod.

"How are you doing for money?" Mr. Miyagi asked.

"I have some savings."

"What about your parents?"

"Whatever I got from them went to my gran... She gave it to me a long time ago." Mr. Miyagi nodded at his words.

"You've missed a fair bit of school."

"Yeah well..." Kaito sighed.

"I've been marking you down as ill. It won't look as bad in the long run that way" Miyagi smiled.

"Thanks."

"Listen" Mr. Miyagi began "I was doing some thinking Kaito."

"About?"

"About you, the house... Look, maybe you should se-"

"I'm not selling it" Kaito said, interrupting the man. "I can't, it was her house..."

"You can't stay here" Mr. Miyagi said as came closer to Kaito.

"Why not?!" Kaito snapped "It's my house now; it's all I fucking have left!"

"Kaito!" Mr. Miyagi yelled Kaito went quiet at the man's out burst. "I know it's hard, believe me I know exactly how you feel but, we have to move on."

"Move on?!" Mr. Miyagi nodded at him. "How can you say that? She's was all I had, you know that... I can't, I can't..." Kaito wept as he broke into tears, nearly losing his balance his sensei caught him in his arm. Kaito lent his head against the man as Mr. Miyagi held him up. "I miss her so much" Kaito mumbled as his tears rolled down his face.

"I know" Mr. Miyagi nodded "I know..." Letting out a cough, Mr. Miyagi let go of Kaito as the boy looked up to him. Placing his hand on Kaito's shoulders the man began to speak. "Listen to me Kaito, you have to look out for yourself now, you understand?" Kaito nodded slightly. "I know it's hard to but you need to keep a clear head. If-If you sell this place then you'd have enough money for a fresh start, you could rent your own place, get a job and make something for yourself." Kaito wiped his eyes again. "We both know you're not going to college, it's the harsh truth but I think you already know it." Kaito nodded again. "I'm trying to look out for you, it's my job, and it's been my job since day one..."

"I know" Kaito smiled.

"Just think about it, if you decide to, let me know and I'll sort it all out for you." Kaito thanked his teacher as Mr. Miyagi began to walk away. Before leaving however, he turned to Kaito again. "Make something for yourself Kaito" He said before taking to the street. Kaito stood there for a moment thinking over what Mr. Miyagi had said; he then entered the house, shutting the door behind him.

That night, at around 11:00pm, Ushio stared at her ceiling as she lay down in her futon. Her parents had gone to bed as well, her father usually went to work early and her mother would need to be up for 07:00am to help prepare the bread for Akio and Sanae's bakery. She looked out into the darkness of her room, she couldn't sleep. There was only one thing on her mind right now, Kaito... She knew what she needed to do. She couldn't fight it any longer; she hadn't seen the boy for over a week, she had to make sure he was alright. Slipping into her shoes, she threw a jacket on over her pyjamas. Being ever so quiet, she opened her bedroom door and made sure the coast was clear. After making her way down the stairs she opened the front door, taking the key she exited and closed the door. Locking up, she made her way out into the crisp, cold night.

About 30 minutes later Ushio came to Kaito's road. Looking over to her grandparent's bakery she noticed a few lights were still on. Hoping not to be seen, she quickly made her way past the park and on towards Kaito's home.

Approaching the door of the house, Ushio placed her fist upon it to knock yet, just then the door slowly creaked open. "Kaito?" She asked in a hush tone, there was no response. Debating whether or not to enter she decided to continue on inside. A rather foul smell hit her as she entered the living room, it was dark and dusty. It hadn't been cleaned for a while. "Kaito?" She asked again yet, still, there was no response. She made her way over to the bedrooms, Kaito's was empty as was, what used to be, Sayuri's. At the end of the hallway lay the attic's pull down stair way; it was open. Ushio walked over to it as she looked up. Coming from it was the only true source of light the house now had. She placed her hands and her feet on the pull down ladder as she climbed up it.

As Ushio peered into the attic she saw boxes upon boxes of old photographs, ornaments, tapes and books. In the centre of all of this sat Kaito, a small television and a lamp. "Kaito?" She asked as she saw the boy. Keeping his gaze fixed on a photograph in his hand Kaito spoke.

"What are you doing here?" He asked in a dry tone.

"I-I wanted to see you. Everyone's worried about you..."

"Are they?"

"Yes... Wh-Where have you been?" Ushio wondered as she knelt down in front of him, finding a space among the masses of old items.

"I've been here" He replied "Everyday." Kaito looked up to Ushio as he held out the picture in his hand. "Look at this" He said. Ushio took the picture from him. On it was a man, a woman and a young boy who Ushio instantly recognised as younger Kaito. "I was 8 when that was taken. Do you recognise that place?"

"It's where we went for your birthday..." Ushio muttered.

"I was 8 and I had forgotten about it. That's why it was so familiar. My parents had taken me there." He sighed.

"What happened to them?" Ushio asked, yet for this question she knew there could only be one answer, one that she was dreading.

"I want to tell you... I do." Kaito stated. "I've never told anyone, even Keshi and Juni don't know the full story. Miyagi knows, yet the same as Keshi and Juni, I never told him the full story."

"Kaito... You don't have t-"

"No, I will..." He said, giving a weak smile. "When I was 11, my parents and I we... We were in the car. We were coming back from, well... Do you remember how good I was at laser tag?" Kaito asked with a chuckle. Ushio nodded. "My dad used to take me; he and my mom would come and play with me. I went a lot... I made out to the others that I had never been, I just wanted something for myself you know? A happy memory for me..." He sighed. "Really, it was just a normal day. Yet, on the way home my parents were arguing for some reason... I don't even remember what it was about, that's the worse thing." Kaito sniffed as he continued, Ushio remained with her eyes locked on him. "It was winter and it was snowing... A lot. I guess I was being a nuisance or something because I remember my mom telling me off. Then, my dad lost control; the car spun and just kept spinning until- until it flipped." Tears formed in Kaito's eyes. "I was out cold and when I came to I was in a hospital bed." Kaito shook his head as he wiped his eyes. "Neither of my parents survived..." He said as he hung his head in his hands. A tear rolled down Ushio's cheek as she placed her hand on Kaito's arm, Kaito looked back up. "It was my fault Ushio, all of it."

"Kaito, no."

"It was my fault then and it's my fault now."

"You ca-"

"What do you know?" Kaito asked "Ushio, the guilt's ate away at me every fucking day! When my gran started with her dementia I-I brought every thing up here, everything to do with my parents, with her and with me. I didn't want to remember any of it and, guess what? It worked! I forgot the places I went with them, the things we had done and now... Now I'm a complete fucking mess" Kaito sobbed.

"Kaito..."

"When my parents died, I was brought to live with my gran... I didn't speak for weeks. Then, one day, my gran sat me down and spoke to me. She... She told me that I didn't have to be alone, that I had her and she had me. She had lost her son, I had lost my parents. She told me that I was her boy, that I was her everything..." Kaito wiped his eyes again. "I'm alone again Ushio, I don't want to be alone..."

"Kaito, you don't have to be" She smiled. "We're all here for you; everyone misses you and cares about you. Even my parents are worried, even Aki asks about you. You don't have to do this alone." She said as she hugged him. Kaito brought his arms up and Ushio cradled him. As Ushio held Kaito, he spoke.

"I'm glad you're my friend Ushio..." He whispered. Ushio's heart dropped as she swallowed her feelings.

"Me too" She replied. They stayed there for a while; there shadow's merged within the lamp light. Amongst the midst of the piles of photos and books sat a piece of paper. On it there was a paragraph of writing.

'Dear Kaito, if you are reading this then that means I am gone from this world. I am writing this at a time in my life when I have had some troubling news. I know that at some point I shall no longer recognise you, that at some point I shall be dependent on you for every basic need. I want to thank you for this; I know you will be there for me. I know you will be okay after I am gone, you are a wonderful and strong young man and I am proud to call you my boy. My boy, my little Kaito. There are no words to express the love I have for you, or the love your parents had for you, I know they would also be proud. I do not want you to be sad or feel any amount of guilt for what has happened in your life; you have gone through more than any one person could. Despite the unforeseeable future I will tell you something for certain, you will never be alone, you will always have those who care for you, may it be it your family, friends or even your mentors, you will never be alone. Stay strong Kaito for I am in a better place. My boy, with love, your Gran.'

**~*36*~**


	37. An Unwilling Sacrifice

**~*37*~**

The taxi pulled up outside the Akimoto household as Isao stepped out of the vehicle. He was still a bit bruised from his crash and hobbled along with crutches. Junko was waiting for him outside of their home. When she saw him she ran up to the man. "Oh Isao are you okay?"

"Yeah... Fine" He replied as he yawned.

"Come on in and I'll make us some tea" She smiled.

"Sure, that sounds nice" He nodded. Opening the door Junko led her husband inside as she sat him down on the sofa. Isao looked around his living room, the aura, if that was what he was feeling, seemed lighter for some reason. Junko returned from the kitchen with a pot of tea and two cups. Placing the cups down on the small table in front of the sofa she began to pour the tea.

"It's wonderful to have you home" She stated.

"And it's good to be home" Isao nodded with a smile. Junko took a seat next to Isao as they sipped their tea.

"Now, we have something to talk about" Junko muttered.

"Which is?"

"Our son."

"I thought he was okay where he is?" Isao said.

"I'm not talking about the living arrangements, more about the fact that in a few months, he won't be here anymore."

"Right" Isao nodded.

"I know things have been better between the two of you lately" Junko beamed.

"Yes... In some ways this accident was a blessing."

"I hate to say it but I think I might agree" She chuckled, Isao joined her.

"It's been a while" Isao mumbled.

"What has?"

"Since we last laughed together" He said. Junko smiled at her husband as he held her hand. "I promise, the future will be a lot brighter for us... All of us" He smiled. Junko nodded in agreement as they continued to drink their tea.

"We need to spend more time with him before he leaves" Junko said as she lay back on the sofa.

"I agree" Isao smiled in return. He then joined his wife in her relaxed position as, for the first time in a long time, he held her with his one good arm.

"There he is!" Takeshi roared as Kaito entered the reference room at lunch. "Man, we missed you!"

"Laying it on a bit thick aren't you?" Yumi whispered.

"Who cares?!" Takeshi retorted as he approached his friend, embracing him as he did.

"Thanks Keshi" Kaito smiled. "Sorry I wasn't in earlier, Miyagi said I could take my time so I thought I join you for lunch today and then go back to my usual school days."

"That's good" Juni said as he shook his friend's hand.

"Are you feeling okay?" Kumiko asked in a sweet tone.

"Yeah Kumi-Chan, I'm good" Kaito nodded.

"You gave us a scare" Yumi stated as she hugged the boy.

"Yeah, I am sorry guys."

"You don't need to apologise Kaito" Ushio said as she approached. Kaito and Ushio shared a smile, as they both thought back to the other night.

"Listen dude, I don't know if you've been thinking about it or not but... If you're not planning on staying in your house then my mom said you're more than welcome to stay with us" Takeshi said.

"Really?" Kaito asked.

"Yeah, she said it would be a delight to have you... Or something" He grinned.

"Well, I think I'll you up on that offer... Thanks man" Kaito nodded.

"Sure, just let me know when."

"Tomorrow? I still have a few things to sort out at home."

"That's fine" Takeshi said as he placed his arm around his friend, leading him towards a chair. The six of them all sat down at the table, Takeshi took his usual spot on top of one of the old desks.

"So, Juni, I hear your dads out of hospital today" Kaito said.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go see him after school."

"You going Kumi?" Asked Takeshi.

"No, I think I'll leave Juni too it today" She smiled.

"Yeah... We've got a few things to sort out, my family and I..."

"Right" Kumiko nodded.

After finishing their meals they decided to leave the reference room early to go and sit out in the courtyard. As they were making their way toward the school's exit the six of them heard a voice calling from behind them. As they turned around they saw Mayumi Hiroshima. "Kaito!" She cried as she jogged towards him.

"Hey" He smiled.

"I-I heard about your grandmother... I'm so sorry" She said as she hugged him. Kaito smiled as she pulled back. Kumiko and Ushio shared a look with each other as Kaito and Mayumi parted.

"Don't worry about it" Kaito stated "I'm coping."

"I'm glad" Mayumi smiled. "I-If you ever need anything... Well, you have my number."

"Thanks" Kaito nodded.

"Well, I have to get going" She said as she twirled a strand of her dark hair. "See you" She blushed as she walked away. The group watched her walk off into the crowd of students.

"See ya!" Takeshi laughed as he felt a dig to his ribs. "Jesus Yumi, stop it!"

"That wasn't me..." Yumi replied. Takeshi looked around as his eyes settle on Ushio. "Erm... Let's just go outside!" They all nodded as they made for the exit. Ushio and Takeshi hung at the back.

"She keeps doing things like that, Takeshi" Ushio whispered as they maintained a distance from the group.

"Don't worry; I know he feels the same about you... He just doesn't know it yet."

"I don't think he'll ever figure it out then" Ushio sighed. Takeshi placed his arm around Ushio as he chuckled.

"Don't worry Ushio, sooner or later; Kaito's bound to have a break through." He smiled. Ushio let out another sigh.

"I hope you're right..."

The bell rang again, concluding lunch. "Don't be late to Gym today Juni" Takeshi laughed.

"Yeah I'll try not" Juni laughed as he said goodbye to the others to go to homeroom.

Later that day... "Crap" Juni muttered to himself as he jogged towards the school gym. "Always late, it's not my fault the stupid gym is at the other side of school!" He said to himself. As he passed numerous hallways he heard a noise coming from down one. Stopping, he poked his head around. There stood his old nemesis, Gaku. He was holding Kenji up against a wall.

"Ain't got your body guards to help ya today have ya?" Gaku asked yet Kenji remained quiet. Juni was about to step out and say something when an idea entered his head. Time seemed to slow down as he explored his mind... There was no one around to witness this event, if Juni told a teacher; Gaku could simply get away with it. But, if Juni had proof of what Gaku was doing then, then Gaku would be expelled... Feeling in his pockets Juni found his phone. He didn't think it was a brilliant idea but... At least it was something. Juni set it to video record as he held the phone up. The only conflict he had against this plan was that he was filming Kenji's suffering, yet, if he just explained everything to Kenji, it would all be okay, right? As Juni recorder Gaku continued. "Now ya fucking wimp, give me your money."

"I-I spent it all" Kenji whimpered.

"Don't fucking lie to me!" Gaku yelled as he threw a punch at Kenji's stomach. Letting out a cry Kenji nearly dropped out of Gaku's grasp. Juni had to hold himself back from stepping in; this was for the greater good after all. After another couple of shots to the stomach, Kenji began to cough; Juni had decided enough was enough. Stopping the recording as he had enough evidence of Gaku's deeds, Juni ran forward as he grabbed Gaku from behind, pulling him away from Kenji. Gaku's eyes met Juni's as he spat on the floor. "For fucks sake!"

"What's the matter?" Juni laughed.

"Why is it always you... Meh, you're not worth it..." Gaku sighed as he walked away. Juni let out sigh of relief as he turned to Kenji.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah Juni, thanks" Kenji smiled.

"Listen... I've kind of done something."

"What?" Kenji asked with a cough.

"Don't be mad..." Juni said.

"Okay..."

"I've just filmed Gaku" Juni stated as he played the recording for Kenji. Kenji's face turned to a frown.

"Why would you do that?"

"I'm sorry Kenji but... With this, and you're help, we can get Gaku expelled."

"R-Really?" Kenji asked with hopeful eyes.

"Yes" Juni smiled. Kenji placed out his hand as Juni shook it.

"I'll give you all the help I can" Kenji stated as he smiled at Juni.

Back at Juni's home, Junko had just returned from a phone call that she had took in the kitchen. "Isao" She said. Isao turned to her.

"Yeah?"

"I have to go into Junichiro's school."

"Why?"

"He's been involved in some kind of fight... They've asked me to come in" She stated. Isao's brow creased as he tried to fight his anger. He placed his hand to his forehead as he spoke.

"For god's sake Juni..."

Junko entered the principle's office as she saw Juni sat down with another young boy and a larger boy off to the right. There was also a rough looking woman stood there. Behind a desk sat a rather slim looking woman, she had flowing dark hair with piercing eyes. "Ah, Mrs. Akimoto" The woman smiled. "This is Mrs. Space, her son Gaku and this young man is Kenji." She greeted them as she took a seat next to her son.

"Can you please tell me what this is about?" Mrs. Space asked.

"Well, it's come to my attention that your son has continued to bully other students after multiple warnings" The principle stated.

"Just rumours, am I right Gaku?" Gaku looked to his mother. "I better be" She said with a cross look. Gaku's eye's dropped to the floor.

"Mrs. Space" The principle began "According to Kenji your son has continued to bully him the past few weeks."

"As I said, they're just words, rumours."

"However, this time we have factual evidence" The principle replied as Mrs. Space sat up straight. "Mrs. Akimoto, you're son filmed such an event on his mobile phone." Junko looked to Juni with a look of confusion.

"Mom... Kenji's my friend, I couldn't jus-"

"Junichiro, you shall speak when spoken to" The principle stated. Juni nodded at her as he went quiet. "Kenji, are you sure you're okay for this footage to be shown?"

"Yes Miss" Kenji nodded. The principle held up Juni's phone as she gestured from him to press play, he did so. They all watched the footage, roughly about 30 seconds, of Gaku insulting Kenji and throwing multiple punches at him. As the video stopped Gaku's eyes returned to the floor as his mother displayed a look of disgust.

"I will not condone violence in my school" The principle stated. "After many, many warnings, detentions and suspensions your son has refused to stop. I have no choice but expulsion."

"You're expelling him?!" Mrs. Space asked in a worried tone.

"Yes, to be removed from the school site and system immediately. I'm afraid you will have to leave. We'll be in touch with details of what to next." Mrs. Space began to fume as she grabbed Gaku by the shoulder, dragging him out of the office.

"You stupid shit! You'll never amount to anything, just like your father!" She cried as the door closed. The principle spoke again.

"Now, as for Junichiro."

"What will happen?" Junko asked. The principle sighed.

"Off record, I do want to say that you should be proud of your son for doing something like this. Officially we cannot condone violence of any kind, even things such as filming an event."

"So, I'm okay right?" Juni asked. The principle shook her head.

"No, I am sorry but in such an event I have to treat all parties equally. I'm afraid you will have to face suspension."

"S-Suspension?" Junko whimpered as the principle nodded. Kenji gave Juni a concerned look.

"It's fine" Juni whispered.

"Will this affect his scholarship?" Junko asked. Juni's face went white, in all the madness of today he hadn't even considered what affect this would have on him.

"Yes... To some extent."

"What does that mean?" Juni asked.

"We will have to inform the college you wish to attend. It is up to them to make the decision on whether they still want to offer you a place. Yet, we will provide them with all the information so, due to the circumstances you may still get in."

"So there's still a chance?" Kenji asked.

"Yes" The principle replied.

"Thank god..." Kenji sighed "I wouldn't want you to mess up your future on my account" He said as he turned to Juni. Juni nodded as he looked to his mother. They shared a hopeful smile.

"Right, now that everything's sorted, you may return to your classes."

The bell rang, ending the school day. Juni and his friends were walking out of the courtyard as Juni had just told them the news, leaving out the fact that he may not make it into his choice of college. "Really? So Gaku's gone, fucked off just like that?" Takeshi asked.

"Yep, just like that" Juni smiled.

"We should've thought of that a lot sooner" Yumi sighed.

"Yeah, good going Juni" Kaito laughed.

"I'm still upset you got suspended" Kumiko stated.

"It'll be fine" Juni said as he held her hand.

"Yeah Kumi, Juni's an even bigger hero now" Ushio smiled. Just then a large figure approached the six friends; he had dark hair, a broad build and a bruise across his face. It was Gaku.

"Just leave man!" Takeshi yelled as he saw the boy. The others stopped dead in their tracks as Gaku remained unusually calm.

"What do you want?" Juni asked.

"To talk" Gaku replied.

"You've done enough haven't you?" Yumi yelled. Gaku ignored her as he looked to Juni.

"I've come to tell you... To watch your back."

"Yeah, old news" Kaito retorted.

"I will get you" Gaku said, also ignoring Kaito. "I promise you, you little, wimpy, ginger shit" He smirked. "I will end you one day."

"You'll probably be in prison before then!" Ushio shouted as Gaku turned away and began to walk off.

"J-Just ignore him man" Takeshi stated. Juni had gone white.

"Juni?" Kumiko asked.

"I-I'm fine" Juni smiled. "I'm gonna go to my parent's house now, I-I'll see you later" He smiled. Juni then left the group as they stared at him, walking away.

"You guys need to watch out for him, even more so now..." Yumi stated. Kaito and Takeshi looked at each other as they nodded.

"We're on it."

Juni reached the front door of his previous residence. Letting out a sigh he walked in. There, sat on the sofa was his mother and his father. Isao stood up on his crutch as Juni walked in. Junko remained quiet. As Juni approached he spoke. "Dad... Please don't be angry." Isao shook his head.

"Juni, you idiot. Of course I'm angry" He replied as Juni's eyes fell to the floor. Isao came close to his son as he placed his hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry" He said "If worse comes to worse, we'll work something out" He smiled. Juni nodded as he and his father embraced. Isao sat there with a smile, as she had said before; things were beginning to work themselves out, or, at least she hoped...

**~*37*~**


	38. Looking Ahead

**~*38*~**

"Come on Kaito, we're gonna be late!" Takeshi yelled as the two of them jogged down the street.

"When are we not late Keshi?!" Kaito retorted. Kaito had been living with Takeshi for a short while now, much to his surprise, he was actually having a lot of fun staying with the Fujimoto's.

"Ushio's party had to be right after school didn't it?"

"There's always something Keshi" Kaito laughed as he caught up to his friend. They came to the bottom of Ushio's road as they slowed down to a stroll. "So, is the cake okay?" Kaito asked. Takeshi had been carrying a rather large package on their journey; he was frequently making sure it was upright.

"Who said I made a cake?!" Takeshi said with an uneasy laugh.

"Well, I never said you did make it and, dude, everyone knows about your baking these days... Nothing to be ashamed of" Kaito grinned as he gave Takeshi a punch on his shoulder.

"Hey, cheap shot, I have no hands free!"

"Take them while you can Keshi, take them while you can" Kaito smiled.

"Meh, take em while ya can..." Takeshi said, imitating Kaito.

Reaching Ushio's front door Kaito knocked. "There, since you don't have any hands free" Kaito laughed as Takeshi rolled his eyes. The door opened as Yumi stood there, a grim look was on her face.

"Should we close the door?" Takeshi whispered to Kaito.

"What was that?" Yumi asked.

"N-Nothing!" Takeshi smiled.

"You're late; Ushio will be here any minute!" She scolded.

"Then tell us off inside!" Kaito retorted as he made his way past her. Inside the house, Nagisa, Ryou, Kumiko and Juni were busy putting up the last few decorations. The living room was full of banners which read 'Happy 18th Birthday!' Fuko, Kouko and Yusuke were in the kitchen with Kyou fixing up the last of the party food, Sanae was wiping down the small coffee table in the centre of the room, while Kappei and Akio sat down with a cold beer. They all greeted the new arrivals.

"How's your neck?" Kyou asked as she examined Kaito.

"Fine" Kaito smiled. Ryou approached him.

"It still looks a bit red; perhaps some more cream would do it good?"

"No, no, I'm fine... That's stuff really stings!"

"That does mean it's working though!" Kyou laughed as she placed an arm around her sister. Sanae and Nagisa joined them as Nagisa spoke.

"Sakumoto, how are you?" She asked in a gentle tone.

"Yeah... A lot better thanks" He nodded.

"We're glad to hear it" Sanae smiled as Fuko came up behind Kaito.

"Weird guy Sakumoto!" She laughed as Kaito sighed. "We've been waiting for you guys!" She smiled.

"So, you guys are taking it easy, yeah?" Takeshi asked as he walked over to Kappei and Akio.

"Hey Takeshi" Kappei laughed as Akio scowled.

"I'll have you know we've been working our asses off today! We're just taking a break!"

"Taking a break from what?" Takeshi questioned.

"...A break" Akio sighed as Takeshi let out a laugh and sat down next to the two men.

"You bake another cake?" Akio asked as he looked to the large box Takeshi had placed on the table.

"Yes sir" Takeshi smirked.

"That's pretty impressive" Akio smiled.

A short while later Nagisa checked her phone. "They're gonna be here any minute!" She cried as a panic erupted.

"Okay, okay!" Kyou yelled over the others, they all went silent. "Kaito, Yumi, Kumiko, Juni, Nagisa, Akio" She began "Get those decorations up!" They nodded as they did as they were told. "Kouko, Fuko, Yusuke, Takeshi. In the kitchen finished those pizzas and rice balls!" She ordered, they too did as she said. "Kappei, you take after Sanae and clean that table" Reluctantly, Kappei took the duster from Sanae as Kyou spoke again. "Sanae, you and I shall sit down and have a _break_" She said as she grinned at Kappei who rolled his eyes at her.

A few minutes later they had all finished their assigned jobs as they heard a car pull up outside. Taking to their places they all waited. "Thanks for the random ice-cream dad" Ushio laughed as she and Tomoya exited his car.

"No problem, if I guy can only take his daughter out for ice-cream on one day, it should be on her birthday..." He smiled.

"Right..." Ushio nodded as she gave him a suspicious look.

"What?" Tomoya asked.

"You're acting weird dad" Ushio stated.

"Me?! No, no, come on" He said, pointing to the door. Ushio nodded as he made for the front door. Putting her hand on the handle she turned it. Opening the door, she was met with loud cheers and yells.

A few hours later, after presents had been handed out, the food had been eaten and the guests had begun to leave the clock reached 10:15pm. Tomoya and Nagisa brought down some sleeping bags as Akio and Sanae cleaned up the kitchen. "You guys stopping yeah?" Tomoya asked as he looked to Ushio's five friends.

"If that's okay?" Kumiko smiled.

"Of course" Tomoya nodded. "Girls upstairs, boys down here" He said, pointing his finger at the three boys.

"Sure man" Takeshi said with an uneasy laugh.

"Of course, you don't have to go to bed yet!" Akio laughed as he entered the living room.

"Thanks Aki..." Ushio sighed.

The six of them all sat in Ushio's room. Yumi, Kumiko and Ushio sat on her folded out Futon as Juni and Kaito sat down on the floor. Takeshi sat in Ushio's spinning desk chair as he twirled around in it. Looking on the desk he spoke. "What's this?" He asked as he held up an old toy.

"That's one of the first things I got from my dad" She replied as she looked over the small, battered, mechanical doll.

"You know this robot's missing a hand right?"

"I hadn't noticed" Ushio smiled as Takeshi carefully placed the toy on the desk. Gazing around the room again, he spoke.

"And what are those?" He asked as he pointed to three stuffed balls that sat on top of each other in the corner of Ushio's room.

"What do you think?" Ushio asked.

"Dumplings?" Juni questioned.

"Pretty much" Ushio laughed. "They're the big Dango family!"

"The what?" Yumi said. Ushio shook her head as she began, what would be known as, one of the most in depth explanations of what the big Dango family was, one which would even rival her mother's...

Takeshi brought his head up from the desk. He had nearly dozed off from Ushio's lecture. "Jesus Ushio" He said "You've been talking about the Dango family for nearly an hour."

"Big Dango family" Kaito said, correcting his friend.

"Don't get me started" Takeshi groaned.

"Has anyone got a different topic of discussion?" Juni asked with a yawn. Ushio shook her shoulder as Kumiko's head rose up.

"Kumi, we're talking about something else now" Ushio laughed, Kumiko let out a yawn as she nodded.

"I have a question" Takeshi stated.

"Please don't ask about Aki's baking techniques" Ushio replied as the others laughed.

"Oh ha ha" Takeshi said in an exaggerated manner. "Actually my question was for Yumi."

"What?" Yumi asked.

"What happened to all those auditions you went on?" Takeshi asked. The others looked to Yumi as she went red.

"Yeah, I completely forgot about those" Kaito stated.

"I never got a part..." Yumi sighed.

"In anything?" Takeshi questioned. Yumi looked to him with a scowl as Takeshi's eyes darted away.

"No, okay? I'm no good at it so just drop it okay?" Yumi replied in a sharp tone.

"Sure..." Kaito nodded slowly.

"I have a question" Kumiko said as she gave another yawn.

"What's that?" Ushio asked.

"What is everyone doing after graduation?" She asked as she closed her eyes again.

"Yeah" Juni added "I don't think we've ever really discussed that" He said. They all looked at each other. "Well, you guys know me and Kumi plan to go to London, after that, who knows." Kumiko nodded at him and smiled.

"But what job are you looking for? Won't maths give you a load of options?" Kaito asked.

"Yeah, I suppose. Perhaps some kind of accountant, I dunno."

"Setting your sights a bit low are ya?" Takeshi smirked.

"I'm just being realistic" Juni replied.

"Ah, that's boring!" Takeshi bellowed.

"What about you Takeshi?" Kumiko asked.

"Me? Well, maybe I'll travel the world an-"

"You gotta get a job first" Kaito smiled.

"Okay then maybe I'll become a CEO."

"You'll probably need to go to college" Ushio remarked. Takeshi sighed.

"Fine, then I'll just become a pro so-"

"You need talent to become a pro anything" Yumi sneered. Takeshi let out another sigh as he hung his head back.

"You should become a chef or a baker" Kumiko yawned.

"Actually that's not a bad idea, right?" Takeshi asked. "You don't have to go to college, that dream is, itself a job and I have talent in that area."

"Yeah man" Kaito nodded "Keshi's little bakery?"

"Sounds good" Takeshi laughed.

"Ushio?" Juni asked.

"Hmm?"

"What about you?"

"I-I think I'm going to become an artist" She smiled.

"That's a good choice" Kaito nodded.

"Yeah Ushio, I think that's a good thing to be" Yumi agreed.

"What kinda artist?" Takeshi asked.

"I'm not sure, though, if not an artist, then perhaps an art consultant or something along those lines" She added.

"Well, it seems like you have a plan" Juni commented.

"I just hope it's a good one" Ushio laughed. "Yumi, what's your plan?"

"I-I'm not sure... I hope I can still be an actress, which would be my dream..." She sighed.

"Maybe you should give up on it" Takeshi suggested.

"Takeshi!" Kaito scolded.

"What? I just gave up on mine" He replied.

"You just made up three different dreams and then decided on something completely different" Ushio hissed.

"Oh yeah..." Takeshi sighed.

"I don't know..." Yumi muttered as she went quiet. Kaito shook his head at Takeshi as Ushio spoke.

"Kaito?"

"Oh, well" He laughed "Isn't that the question of the day?"

"What do you mean?" Ushio asked.

"I've never really thought about what I'd wanna do... I don't have any talents, any goals... Nothing really."

"Don't say that" Juni replied.

"It's true. I'm not going to college, I'll be lucky to graduate" He laughed.

"I'm sure something will come up" Ushio smiled.

"Maybe I'll become one with nature and take to the the wild."

"Oh yeah, the wild forests of Hikarizaka?" Ushio grinned.

"Sounds about right" Kaito laughed, as did the others. "Honestly though, I'm an open book at the moment... Who knows what will happen."

Juni, Kaito and Takeshi all lay in their sleeping bags in the Okazaki's living room. They had gone down to be a few hours ago after spending some time with the others in Ushio's room. Takeshi lay awake in the pitch darkness of the room as he heard something. A creaking noise was coming down the stairs. Covering his head with the covers he peered out. Noticing someone enter the kitchen he saw a long pony tail, Yumi. Getting out of his sleeping bag he made his way over to the archway that led to the kitchen as he peered in. Yumi was stood there, drinking a glass of water. "Hey" Takeshi muttered. Yumi turned around.

"Oh, hi" See sighed.

"Listen Yumi, I'm sorry for earlier... I didn't mean what I said" He smiled. Yumi have a slight nod as she spoke.

"There's stuff you say all the time... It's just who you are Takeshi."

"I could change?" He suggested. Yumi shook her head as she placed the glass in the sink and walked past Takeshi, heading towards the stairs and back up to Ushio's room. Turning out the kitchen light and heading back to his sleeping bag Takeshi found himself face to face with Kaito. He had heard the conversation and was sat up. "What's up?" Takeshi asked.

"You know, you should tell her how you feel man" Kaito replied.

"I don't feel anything Kaito..." Takeshi scoffed.

"Just saying pal" He said as he sunk back into his sleeping bag, bringing the covers over his head as he did. Takeshi crawled into his own sleeping bag as he stared up at the ceiling.

"You're probably right" Takeshi mumbled as he shut his eyes, ready to fall into a deep sleep.

**~*38*~**

_Tad short but trust me, the next two chapters are great. You'll see :)_


	39. Decisions, Decisions

**~*39*~**

The large assembly hall was filled with students as Kaito, Yumi and Takeshi sat with their class. At the front of the hall on a large stage there stood the principle and several other teachers. The principle was reading out announcements as Takeshi's head landed on Yumi's shoulder. She nudged him as he woke up. "What the?" He asked as his eyes landed on Mr. Miyagi who shushed him. Takeshi slumped down into his chair. "Sorry" He whispered to Yumi.

"Just try to stay awake."

"Uhuh" Takeshi yawned. On the other side of Yumi, Kaito was staring towards the front of the hall.

"On to the leaver's ball" The principle said. Kaito caught Takeshi out of the corner of his eye.

"Leaver's ball?" Takeshi mouthed silently, Kaito shrugged. A few seats down past Takeshi Kaito saw Mayumi. She gave a little wave as Kaito smiled.

"Now the leaver's ball will be held this Saturday, starting from 7:30pm, onto 11pm. It will take place in here; you may purchase your tickets from the main reception." She stated. "Oh and I do ask that no one brings any form of alcohol, I do not want a repeat of last year's dance, we still haven't caught the culprit, I do not assume they shall do the same again." Yumi scowled at Takeshi who merely smiled with a shrug.

"Good thing your suspension is up, just in time for the leaver's ball ey?!" Takeshi laughed as he and his friends sat in the reference room.

"Yeah, should be great" Juni replied with a smile. Kaito had his eyes shut as he slouched back into his chair, placing his legs up on the table.

"Who you gonna ask?" Takeshi asked as he looked to Juni. A smile came over Juni's face as his eyes found their way over to Kumiko.

"Who do you think?" He laughed.

"I thought you wouldn't need to ask me" Kumiko smiled.

"No, he still needs to ask you" Ushio giggled. Yumi looked over to Kaito as she kicked the side of the chair.

"What?..." Kaito sighed.

"Why don't you join in with the conversation?" Yumi suggested in her sharp tone.

"Kay..." Kaito replied as he brought his legs down to the floor. "Sure man, you should ask her" Kaito nodded.

"That's better" Yumi smiled.

"Okay, okay" Juni grinned as he looked towards Kumiko. He took her hands in his as he spoke. "Kumi" He began "I know this is sudden but, will you go to the ball with me?" He asked.

"Oh..." Kumiko smiled. "Well, this is so unexpected Juni... I-"

"Oh, come on! You don't have to be so sarcastic about it!" Takeshi groaned. Kumiko let out a giggle.

"Fine, of course I'll go with you" She nodded as her and Juni hugged each other. Ushio clapped as Takeshi spoke.

"God, who knew you two would be going to the ball together!" He grinned as he placed a hand to his forehead, pretending to faint.

"Now who's being sarcastic?" Juni laughed.

"What about you Takeshi?" Ushio asked.

"Huh? Me?"

"Yeah, who are you going to take?"

"Oh, well Ushio, it's a lovely offer but you know you're my pal, my buddy" Takeshi winked as the others laughed.

"Well, I didn't mean me" Ushio said, rolling her eyes. Letting out a sigh Takeshi hung his head back so he faced the ceiling. Staying like that he turned his head towards Yumi.

"What?" She asked dryly. Takeshi smirked as he jumped up from his seat and made his way over to Yumi.

"How's it going?" Takeshi asked as he placed an arm on the back of Yumi's chair.

"Fine..." Yumi replied as the others watched intently.

"So, yanno, I was wonderin' that..."

"Yes?"

"WELL!" Takeshi bellowed as he laughed. Yumi raised an eyebrow at the boy. "We cou- I mean, you an' me we..." He sighed "Well, you know..."

"Takeshi, are you asking me to the ball?" Yumi questioned, trying to fight her grin.

"Yanno, we could hang out, slip some kissui in the punch bowl..." Takeshi smiled.

"You're not doing that!" Yumi scolded.

"Okay, but still" Takeshi frowned. Finding his footing again he spoke. "We could hang out" He repeated "Do a lil' dance..."

"Make a little love?" Kaito asked as Yumi threw a chopstick at him, Kaito ducked, just missing the incoming missile.

"As I was saying" Takeshi said. "Well, you get the picture" He said as he began to sweat slightly.

"Hmm" Yumi uttered. Takeshi's hopeful face was fixed on her as she smiled. "Obviously I'll go with you, you idiot" She grinned.

"Great, great, pick you up at 7 yeah?"

"You don't even have a car" Yumi sighed.

"Then we'll walk" Takeshi retorted.

"Ooh, lucky me" Yumi laughed, as did the others. Takeshi sat back down in his seat as he spoke again.

"See man" He said as he looked to Kaito. "The effect I have on women" Takeshi said as he examined his finger nails. Yumi rolled her eyes as she looked to Kaito.

"So Kaito, who are you going to ask?" She wondered. Kaito looked over to her as he remained quiet. "Well?"

"I haven't decided yet" Kaito sighed as his eyes found their way to the floor. The others looked over to Ushio as she gave a weak smile.

Kaito stood with Mr. Miyagi in his grandmother's living room. What lay in front of them was the last of the boxes that Kaito had prepared. "I can't believe how long this all took" Kaito sighed "I only expected it to be a day's work and that was like two weeks ago..."

"Yeah, well, things don't always go as planned" Mr. Miyagi smiled. Looking to a small box he spoke again. "You're sure you only want to keep those things?" Mr. Miyagi asked; Kaito nodded in reply.

"The only other things that are left are the ones that I'll donate. Other than that, what you see here is just stuff to throw away."

"Right" Mr. Miyagi nodded. He picked up several boxes and bags. "We better load the car up" He smiled. Making his way out of the living room, Mr. Miyagi exited the house, leaving Kaito in the living room. Kaito picked up another bag of rubbish as he also reached for his small box. Looking on at the inside of the house a realisation suddenly hit him. It was empty, this was it. He would no longer be living in this house, no part of him, his grandmother, nothing, there would be nothing left here. Sighing as he gave a weak smile, he spoke.

"Bye gran" He said. Kaito turned around and made for the front door. Taking one last look he closed the door and locked it from the outside.

"So you're definitely going through with selling?" Chiaki asked as she, Takeshi and Kaito sat at the dinner table.

"Yeah" Kaito nodded "It's probably for the best" He smiled.

"Yeah man, besides you got this place now!" Takeshi laughed.

"Well, I don't suppose I'll be a burden on you that long" Kaito said.

"Nonsense!" Chiaki smiled "You're welcome here for as long as you wish" She said as she offered Kaito some more rice.

"Thank you" Kaito smiled as he took the rice "Really though, it means a lot."

"Don't worry about it man" Takeshi smiled "It's cool."

Over at Kumiko's house, Juni and her family were sat down eating dinner themselves. "We'll have to get you a new dress!" Natsumi beamed, Kumiko had just informed her parents about the school's ball.

"Really? That would be great" Kumiko smiled.

"And you Juni, surely you'll need a new outfit?" Natsumi asked.

"Oh, no I'm sure I'll do okay in my usual stuff" He smiled.

"You're kidding right?" Masaru laughed.

"Dad..." Kumiko sighed.

"What? I can't let my daughter go to her dance with a no good bum!"

"Masaru!" Natsumi scolded.

"Oh, crap sorry Juni" Masaru laughed as he patted Juni on the back. "I got a bit carried away there."

"Just a bit" Juni nodded.

"Right... Well why don't you let us get you something to wear?" He asked. Juni looked to Kumiko who gave a smile.

"Thank you, but honestly I couldn't let you do that" Juni replied.

"Are you sure?" Natsumi questioned.

"Yeah" Juni nodded "Besides, I'm sure my parents will get me something."

"How's it going with them?" Masaru asked "Are things going okay?"

"A lot better, they're getting along really well and my dad and I are on good terms" Juni smiled "I'm sure I'll be out of your hair soon."

"We've told you not to talk like that" Masaru stated.

"Yes, you know you're always welcome here" Matsumi added. Juni looked to Kumiko who smiled at him.

"Of course" Juni smiled "Thank you."

A few days had past as it came to Thursday. The leaver's ball would be taking place in two days so the boys were a rental shop, picking out their suits. "Whatcha' think of this one?" Takeshi asked as he came out of the changing rooms wearing a bright, white suit. He had a blue waist coat on with a white tie.

"I think Yumi will hate it" Kaito replied as he sat on a stool, he had nearly fallen asleep as he waited for his friends to try on their suits. Takeshi turned around as he looked in a mirror.

"Oh my god" Takeshi uttered.

"I know, its horri-"

"I look like a freaking movie star!" Takeshi grinned as he swept his hair back. Kaito let out a sigh.

"Sure man, like a million dollars."

"How much is that in Yen?" Takeshi asked.

"I dunno ask Juni" Kaito yawned. Just then, Juni exited the changing room. He wore a dark suit with a green, pattered waist coat along with a dark tie. "Now that looks good" Kaito stated as he pointed to Juni.

"You really think so?" Juni asked as he looked back in the mirror.

"Yeah man, like a million dollars!" Takeshi laughed.

"You mean 107,255,000 Yen, right?" Juni asked, Takeshi had a look of bewilderment as he turned to Kaito who simply grinned. "Do you think Kumiko will like it? I think her dress is going to be greenish" Juni stated.

"Yeah" Kaito nodded "She'll love it."

"What about me?" Takeshi asked as Juni looked over. Juni went silent.

"Well, you'll definitely make an impression Keshi."

"That's what I best" Takeshi winked as he examined himself in the mirror once again.

At another shop, the girls were also trying on dresses. "Do you think Juni will like it?" Kumiko asked. "We're co-orientating, green tie and greenish dress" She smiled.

"I've said it before" Yumi stated as she stood there in her slim, blue dress. "He's an idiot if he doesn't." Ushio was inside another stall of the changing rooms as she looked at her self in the mirror. She was a slim fitting red dress. It had two small straps holding it over her shoulders; it also flared out slightly at the bottom. "Ushio? Are you ready?" She heard Yumi yell. Taking a sigh, Ushio nodded at herself as she exited the stall. She walked out slowly as she was met with Yumi and Kumiko's smiles. "Wow" Yumi said as she saw her friend.

"Ushio, you look gorgeous" Kumiko stated as they looked on at her.

"You think so?" Ushio asked as she looked down at her dress. "You don't think the reds a bit too much?"

"No" Yumi said, shaking her head. "Besides, I've heard that red is Kaito's favourite colour" She said, winking.

"Yumi..." Kumiko sighed.

"What?" Yumi asked.

"I think that ship has pretty much sailed" Ushio sighed.

"Well it has now since you know who came into the picture" Kumiko stated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that was a risky move Ushio" Yumi added "Are you trying to make him jealous?"

"What? No, it's just... Well obviously Kaito likes Mayumi... What was I supposed to do?"

"I suppose" Yumi nodded as the three girls stood there, contemplating the situation.

Juni, Takeshi and Kaito all sat in Takeshi's room. They were listening to music, Kaito was lying out on the floor as Juni and Takeshi sat on the bed, playing battleships. "A4" Takeshi said as Juni sighed.

"Great, it's sunk..."

"Told you I rock at this game."

"Uhuh..." Juni muttered. Takeshi looked over to Kaito as he spoke.

"Whatcha' thinking about man?" He asked. Kaito looked up.

"Stuff" He replied.

"Would this stuff be girls?" Takeshi asked.

"Maybe" Kaito sighed.

"Still deciding?" Juni questioned.

"Yeah..."

"Dude" Takeshi said as he sat up. "You're such an idiot you know?"

"Why?" Kaito asked.

"Any guy would kill to have your problem! You have two beautiful girls to choose between and you don't have a freaking clue who to pick." Takeshi laughed.

"That is the dream" Juni stated in a sarcastic tone.

"It's just" Kaito began as he also sat up. "Right, I know Mayumi wants to go with me... Her friend even came up to me and flat out said it."

"Really?" Juni asked.

"Yeah man... But with Ushio... It's like, sometimes I feel like she's my best friend i-"

"Hey man, what about us?" Takeshi asked.

"Really?" Kaito sighed.

"Sorry pal..." Takeshi smiled. Kaito shook his head as he continued.

"It's like she's my best friend but other times it's like I want something more... I dunno" Kaito sighed. "If I go with Mayumi then I might, might end up hurting Ushio... There's no definite because I don't know if she feels that way about me." Juni and Takeshi shared a look as their attention returned to Kaito. "The with Mayumi... If I ask Ushio, I'm guaranteed to hurt Mayumi, she really likes me..."

"Why not weigh the pros with cons?" Juni asked.

"Well... I mean, obviously I'm already close with Ushio, she's beautiful, smart, funny, kind and I already know so much about her... She's also been there for me a lot of the time..."

"Hmmm" Takeshi hummed. "Now what about Mayumi?"

"Sure, she's nice and yeah she's smart... I mean I wouldn't say no, she's pretty hot right?"

"Sure man" Takeshi nodded.

"So... I dunno; I don't want to hurt either of them..." Kaito sighed.

"Well, that's understandable" Juni nodded.

"Oh, for god's sake man!" Takeshi bellowed. "It's freaking obvious isn't it?"

"What?" Kaito asked.

"You really are stupid aren't you?" Takeshi sighed.

"Keshi..." Juni uttered.

"No man, he needs to know" Takeshi stated.

"Know what?" Kaito asked. Takeshi sighed as calmed himself down.

"Right, d'you remember a while back, before Christmas. I think it was just after the first time you properly talked with Mayumi. In that hallway, yeah?"

"Yeah..."

"Right, well remember after that in the clubroom, you apologised for walking out and I said something about Mayumi and someone gave me a very nasty kick under the table?"

"I think so... Didn't you kick yourself though?" Kaito smirked.

"No... It was Ushio" Takeshi sighed.

"Why?"

"Well, after that she told me she was sorry and I asked her what was going on. Then, she told me that she liked you. Ever since then, she's told me everything man."

"What? S-She likes me?" Kaito questioned.

"Duh..." Takeshi replied "We all talk about it all the time, everyone knows."

"We all know because you told us Keshi" Juni stated.

"Yes but Ushio said it was okay as long as Kaito didn't find out... Bit late for that now though" Takeshi smiled.

"So she likes me?" Kaito asked.

"I'm pretty sure it's a bit more than that" Takeshi stated. A smile came over Kaito's face as he spoke.

"I guess that settles it, as long as she feels that way then... Then I want to ask Ushio" Kaito smiled.

"Yeah!" Takeshi roared "Team Ushio for the win!"

"Team Ushio?" Kaito asked. Takeshi went quiet as he looked to Juni. Juni let out a sigh as he spoke.

"Look Kaito, not all of us was _for_ you and Ushio being together."

"Why?" Kaito asked with a chuckle.

"It's just, well; you need to be completely sure that it's what you want... None of us want to see Ushio get hurt."

"You guys think I'm gonna hurt her?" Kaito questioned.

"No" Takeshi stated "But, Juni's right... You do need to think if Ushio's the one who you defintely want to be with."

"I guess that makes sense" Kaito nodded. The three of them sat there in silence as Kaito began to think about the decision he would have to make.

The air was cool as Kaito stood in front of the garden's path. Taking a deep breath he made his way forwards towards the front door. Hesitating for a moment he placed out his fist as he knocked. A minute or two later the door came open as Ushio stood in the door way. "Kaito? What are you doing here?" She asked in her gentle voice. Kaito smiled as he spoke.

"Are your parents in?" He asked.

"No, they've gone out..." Ushio replied.

"Right" Kaito nodded. "Listen, I've kinda got something I've been wanting to say Ushio."

"Okay" She replied as she wrapped up the dressing gown that she was wearing around her. Kaito looked on at her pretty face as he smiled.

"I know I've been weird lately... I know that I haven't seen what I should have done a long time ago... What was right in front of me you know?"

"Right" Ushio nodded.

"Well, really, I just wanna ask if, well..."

"Yes?"

"Would you want to go to the leaver's ball with me... You know, as my date?" Kaito asked. Ushio looked back into his eyes as a weak smile came over her face.

"Oh... Well..." She muttered.

"What is it?" Kaito asked.

"I-I've already been asked by someone and well, I've said that I'd go with him" She stated.

"Oh..." Kaito said as he nodded. "Right..."

"I'm sorry Kaito" Ushio smiled.

"Who is it?" He asked. Ushio looked down for a moment, and then her head came back up as she faced him. Letting out a sigh, she spoke a word that she knew Kaito would never want to hear, the name of that one person he so greatly loathed.

"Sato."

**~*39*~**


	40. The Leavers' Ball

**~*40*~**

It was 7:25pm, the sun had just set as the moon came out. The outside of the school was decorated with lights and banners which celebrated the leaver's ball. Kaito stared off towards the school's front gate. He was wearing a grey, fitted suit along with a dark waistcoat and red tie. Mayumi stood next to him; she wore a pink, slim dress. Her hair was tied up yet, a few long strands came down past her ears. "Are you okay?" Mayumi asked with a smile, Kaito looked towards her.

"Yeah" He nodded "Fine." Kaito thought back to the previous day...

Walking towards the cafeteria Kaito scanned the tables in search of Mayumi. Spotting her and her friends he made his way over. One of Mayumi's friends pointed behind her, it was the girl who had informed Kaito of Mayumi's desire to attend the ball with him. Mayumi looked behind her as she smiled at Kaito. "Hey" He said "Can I talk to you?" Mayumi nodded as she followed Kaito out of the cafeteria.

"So, what's up?" Mayumi asked as they leant against a wall which stood next several lockers. Kaito stared at Mayumi as he hesitated. "Kaito?"

"Do you want to go to the leaver's ball with me?" He asked. A smile came over Mayumi's face. She twirled a strand of her long hair, as she always did.

"Yes..." She nodded "Of course I do" She said as she moved up and down from her toes to the soles of her feet.

"Cool" Kaito smiled as he nodded. They stood there for a moment as Mayumi gazed into his eyes. "So yeah, I need to get going" Kaito smiled.

Suddenly Kaito was brought out his thoughts as Mayumi spoke. "Kaito?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked.

"Yeah" He nodded with a smile "Of course."

"Good" She smiled as she linked her arm with Kaito's.

"Hey man!" A voice shouted from behind them. As Kaito and Mayumi turned around, they saw Takeshi in his bright, white suit. Yumi was walking over with him, she wore her blue dress.

"Hey" Kaito chuckled as Takeshi approached.

"Hey Hiroshima" Takeshi said with a nod.

"Fujimoto... Nice suit" She smiled.

"Oh really, you think so?" Yumi questioned in a sarcastic tone.

"Hi Koharu" Mayumi smiled as gave a little wave. Yumi nodded at her as she looked to Kaito.

"Well, you clean up well."

"Thanks..." Kaito replied.

"Afraid I can't say the same for Takeshi though..." She sighed.

"What? I look great, right guys?" Takeshi asked as he looked to Mayumi and Kaito, they both gave a half hearted nod as Takeshi stuck his tongue out at Yumi.

"Remind me why I came with you again?"

"Cos' I'm a super cool, hilarious, good looking guy?" Takeshi teased.

"Yeah, something like that" Yumi laughed.

"I told you it was them" A voice laughed, the four of them looked over to see Juni and Kumiko walking their way. "You can't miss Keshi's suit a mile off" Juni laughed as Kumiko gave a smile.

"Hi everyone" Kumiko smiled as she and Juni joined the others. They all greeted her.

"Oh, yeah, guys I don't think you've properly met. This is Mayumi, Mayumi this is Juni and Kumiko" Kaito smiled.

"Hi" Mayumi nodded.

"Nice to meet you" Juni stated.

"Yes, I love your dress" Kumiko added. Yumi rolled her eyes as Mayumi blushed.

"Thanks, I just threw it on really."

"Oh, it suits you" Kumiko said.

"Okay... Can we go in now please? All this girl stuff is making me bored" Takeshi stated.

"Where's Ushio?" Kaito asked.

"She and Sato are already inside" Kumiko replied.

"Oh, yeah... Sato" Kaito nodded. An eerie silence followed, Juni spoke up.

"Come on then, there's a photographer taking pictures inside of couples." They all followed Juni inside the school, ready to begin the night that lay ahead.

Entering the school they were met with a short line of students, they were waiting for their photographs to be taken. After a few minutes of waiting, Juni and Kumiko came to the front. They stood in front of the camera against a large white board. Just then, a small, familiar face popped his head out from behind the large camera. "Hey Juni!"

"Kenji?" Juni laughed.

"Kumiko" Kenji smiled.

"Hi" Kumiko replied.

"You're the photographer?" Kaito asked from the front of the line.

"Hey Kaito, yeah I am" He smiled; looking past Kaito he saw Takeshi and Yumi. They gave him a wave as he smiled back. "Right, you guys ready?" He asked. They nodded as they got into a pose together, hand in hand. "Right, three, two, one..." Click! The picture was taken.

As the six of them made their way into the large hall they heard some form of dance music playing. The room was decorated the same as the outside, with bright lights and banners. There were balloons up on the ceiling along with tables full of food and drinks. Takeshi eyed up the punch bowl. "Don't even think about it" Yumi scolded.

"W-What?" Takeshi asked.

"You know" Yumi replied.

"Fine..." Takeshi sighed. As they looked around the hall they saw Ushio. She was stood at the side of Sato. Ushio wore her slim fitting, red dress. Her hair was swept to one side. Gaku wore a simple dark suit with a blue tie. "Don't them two look good" Takeshi scoffed.

"Shut up Keshi" Kaito replied. To the side of Sato, there was a rather large group of people.

"Oh look, the popular people..." Yumi smirked. There with Sato stood other members of the rugby team, along with several members of the school council.

"Don't you think it's weird how a rugby bum like Sato is buddies with the council members?" Takeshi asked.

"He is the captain" Juni stated.

"I suppose" Takeshi nodded. Yumi looked over at the group as her eyes landed on a girl, Hayashi, the very girl who had reported Yumi to the school council about the drama club's misdeeds.

"Takeshi" Yumi said.

"Yeah?"

"Let's go dance" Yumi smiled.

"Sure" Takeshi nodded as the two of them made their way over to the dance floor.

"Want to get some punch before Keshi get's his hands on it?" Juni asked as he looked to Kumiko.

"Yeah" Kumiko replied "That sounds nice" She smiled as they made their way over to the punch bowl. Mayumi and Kaito were left there; his gaze was still fixed on Ushio. Ushio spotted him out of the corner of her eye. She gave a slight wave as Kaito smiled. Mayumi was about to speak but Mr. Miyagi cut her off.

"Sakumoto, Hiroshima" He nodded.

"Hello sir" Mayumi replied

"Hi" Kaito smiled as he looked towards the man.

"I would have never expected you two to come together" He chuckled.

"Why is that?" Mayumi asked.

"Oh well, Sakumoto, if you're ever with a girl it's always Koharu, Nakahara or that Okazaki girl" He said, pointing to Ushio.

"Just friends" Kaito shrugged.

"Right, right, well enjoy the dance you two" He laughed before making his way off.

"You and that Ushio are pretty close aren't you?" Mayumi asked as Kaito turned to her.

"I guess" Kaito nodded.

"Right" Mayumi smiled "Well, do you want to dance?" She asked.

"Not much of a dancer" Kaito laughed.

"Well, I'm hungry, how about some food?" Mayumi suggested.

"Sure that sounds good" Kaito nodded.

Juni and Kumiko were drinking a cup of punch each as Kenji and Amaya approached. "Hi guys" She smiled.

"Hey Amaya" Juni replied.

"Hi" Kumiko smiled.

"I had a lot of fun the other week Kumiko, you should come play with us again some time, you were really good" Amaya stated.

"You think so?" Kumiko laughed.

"Definitely" She smiled.

"Hey, are you two here together?" Juni asked.

"Oh yeah" Kenji nodded "Didn't you hear? We've actually been seeing each other for the past week or so."

"11 days to be exact" Amaya nodded.

"Really? Aw that's so sweet" Kumiko smiled, perhaps one of her first genuine smiles to Amaya.

"That's great you two" Juni nodded.

"Thanks Juni, oh and thanks again... You know about Gaku and that?" Kenji said.

"Yes, thank you so much for doing what you did" Amaya added.

"Honestly, it's water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned" Juni stated. He looked to Kumiko who gave him a smile.

"I hope your University accepts you after all of this" Kenji said.

"What do you mean by that?" Kumiko asked. Juni looked to her as a worried look came over his face. He looked back to Kenji who had gone red.

"Crap... Sorry Juni" He said in an apologetic tone.

"Kumi, because of everything that happened with Gaku the principle had to tell the staff at our University about it."

"And?" She asked.

"Well, it's up to them but I may not get in. They're supposed to be giving me a call within three days they said."

"Within three days?" Amaya asked.

"Yeah" Juni nodded "So really, anytime from this morning."

"Juni... If you've ruined your future like thi-" Kumiko began.

"That's not going to happen" He said as he placed his hands on her cheeks. "I promise you, okay?" Kumiko placed a hand on top of Juni's as she smiled.

"Okay."

"So why did you say yes?" Takeshi asked ash he and Yumi continued to dance. He was waving his arms around without rhythm as Yumi kept to the beat.

"Because, you're my friend and we have a good time together?" Yumi stated, as if it was an obvious assumption.

"Cool..." Takeshi nodded.

"What?" Yumi asked.

"Nothing, I just thought there might be..."

"Might be what?"

"N-Never mind" He said as he continued to wave his arms about. Yumi raised an eyebrow at the fair haired boy as he smiled. However, they were interrupted by Hayashi. Her forest green hir stood out among the other students.

"Well, well, Koharu I'm actually surprised you came with someone."

"Who the hell's this?" Takeshi asked as he pointed to the girl.

"Hayashi" Yumi sighed "Remember she came to talk to us before she got the drama club disbanded?"

"Oh" Takeshi uttered as he looked towards Hayashi.

"What do you want?" Yumi asked.

"I thought I'd just come for a chat" Hayashi remarked.

"Yeah, well I have nothing to say to you" Yumi retorted.

"Yeah piss off" Takeshi scoffed as he took Yumi's arm. They began to walk away as Hayashi spoke.

"Of course Koharu, I would trust you to come with such a no good bum like Takeshi Fujimoto."

"What did you say?" Yumi asked in a sharp tone as she turned around to face her.

"Yumi, come on" Takeshi said "She's not worth it" He added.

"Of course" Hayashi continued "You would stoop so low, you did let everyone down, your friends, family..."

"Listen to me you bitch!" Yumi yelled as she approached Hayashi. Despite the volume of Yumi's words not many people looked their way as the music masked the majority of noise. "You don't know a thing about my friends, my family, nothing okay?"

"That's more like it" Hayashi smirked. Once again, Takeshi took Yumi's arm.

"Yumi" He said as her gaze slowly left Hayashi. "Trust me on this" He whispered as he stayed close to her ear. "She's really, really not worth it, not like this" Takeshi smiled. Yumi breathed heavily as she nodded.

"Stay away from me" She said as she looked back to Hayashi. She then turned and walked away with Takeshi.

Ushio was stood to the side of Sato. He wasn't very interested in her at the time. He was far too busy conversing with his friends. "Wasn't that the game whe-"

"Yeah man!" Sato laughed. "Honestly, I took that guy out. Dislocated his collar bone, he was out for the season!"

"That's sick man!" One boy laughed. Ushio let out a sigh as she looked around the hall. She saw Mayumi and Kaito sat off to the side, talking. She was reminded of the other night, and her conversation with Kaito...

"Sato."

"S-Sato?" Kaito asked.

"Yeah..." Ushio nodded.

"Wait, we're on about the same Sato right? That prick, who tried to injure me during rugby. You know the guy who wouldn't piss on me if I was on fire right?" Kaito laughed sarcastically.

"Kaito..."

"No, no. If you wanna go with him Ushio then it's fine. It's not like I don't have anyone else to go with" He nodded with a weak smile.

"Then go with them Kaito, maybe it would be better like that" Ushio replied.

"Yeah, yanno, maybe it would" He stated as he turned and made his way back down Ushio's garden. Ushio let out a sigh as she closed the door.

As she brought her thoughts back to the present she noticed Kaito looking over in her direction. She then saw Mayumi tugging on his sleeve. "Kaito?" She asked.

"Yeah?" He replied, still staring off.

"Are you listening?"

"Yeah, something about that film right?" He said as he looked back to her.

"No... I was actually asking how you were, after your grandmother and all..." She sighed.

"Oh..." Kaito nodded. "Y-Yeah, look can we not talk about that please?" He asked. Mayumi looked down to her feet. "It's just; it's been hard enough as it is. I'd rather try to move past it yanno? I don't want to always talk about that stuff."

"Sure" She smiled "I understand."

Yumi and Takeshi were stood by the punch bowl as they each drunk their punch. "Takeshi, do you have any alcohol on you?" Yumi asked.

"Huh?" Takeshi replied in a hushed tone "Why?"

"Do you want to spike the punch bowl?" She asked. Takeshi let out a laugh.

"Why would you wanna do that?"

"Hayashi really pissed me off, filling the punch bowl with alcohol would really be a let down for the student council, don't you think?" She asked.

"Yeah... I don't have any though... But I like your way of thinking, smart and devious" He winked as Yumi smiled at him.

Mayumi and Kaito still sat down. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom okay?" Kaito said, Mayumi gave a smile and nodded. As Kaito made his way over to the bathroom, Mayumi saw a rather large boy follow him.

Kaito was washing his face at the sink as he looked in the mirror. "So, bad luck about Ushio" The large boy laughed as Kaito spotted him in the mirror. Turning around, he spoke.

"What do you want Sato?" He asked.

"Nothing man, just, bad luck."

"Yeah, why's that?"

"Come on... You're telling me you wouldn't tap that if you could?" Sato laughed.

"Don't talk about her like that" Kaito said in a dry, sharp tone.

"Or what?" Sato smirked. "What's little wimpy Kaito gonna do?" He asked. Kaito tried to shake him off as he began to walk past him. Then, Sato grabbed his shoulder. In that instant, Kaito took a hold of Sato as he pushed him up against the wall. Sato tried to loosen Kaito's grip yet, it was to no avail.

"Now you listen, you fucking prick." Kaito began "I'm being nice tonight and letting you be Ushio's date. But, believe me tonight could go any other way for you and if you keep this up I don't plan on making it go good for you" Kaito said. Sato went quiet. "You understand? You don't touch her."

"Sure" Sato nodded slowly. Kaito loosened his grip as he made his way out the bathroom.

"Are you okay?" Mayumi asked as she caught Kaito coming out of the door. His tie was almost coming off and his hair was a mess.

"Yeah fine" Kaito nodded as he tidied himself up. The bathroom door opened as Sato stepped out. He gave Kaito a look as he made his way back over to Ushio and his friends. Mayumi looked to Kaito with a frown.

"Were you fighting over Ushio?" She asked. Kaito's eyes met the floor. Tears came to the corners of Mayumi's eyes as she turned to walk away. Looking over to Ushio and Sato, Kaito shook his head as he chased after Mayumi.

The two of them ended up in one of the school's hallways. "Mayumi!" Kaito yelled as the girl came to a stop. "Look I'm so-"

"Just don't Kaito" She said as she folded her arms. Kaito let out a sigh. "I know, Kaito okay? I've known for ages how you feel about Ushio... When Koharu came up to me and told me I was interfering I knew exactly who she was talking about..."

"I did actually ask her about that... She told me it was nothing important; I kind of just left it after that."

"Exactly... I know you've been trying to hide your feelings for her Kaito, I just never thought you would use me like that" Mayumi said as she wiped her eyes.

"No, it's not like that it's just... Things have been so messed up for me lately; Ushio has been there for those things... I know I've messed you around, I wish, I wish every time I see you that I would have never got you involved in this shit..." He sighed.

"Right" Mayumi nodded. She took a pause before she spoke. "You love her Kaito, don't you?" She asked.

"I-I don't know exactly how I feel... Look, I've lead you on and I'm sorry. It's just, me and you, it's not going to work out..." Kaito stated. Tears fell from Mayumi's eyes as she wiped them again.

"I know..." She sighed. "Thank you though, for putting up with someone like me" She nodded.

"Please don't say something like that..." Kaito said as he leant against a wall. The two of them stared at each other as they shared a smile. "Look, do you want to... Well, do you want to just finish tonight together? We could dance or something?" Kaito asked. Mayumi shook her head.

"No Kaito" She said putting on a brave face. "I think I'm done tonight, I just want to go home and snuggle up in bed" She said letting out a little laugh. Kaito nodded.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" He asked.

"No, it's fine. You go back in there and have fun with your friends" She smiled.

"I am sorry Mayumi..." Kaito sighed.

"I know" She said in her gentle voice. With that, Mayumi turned around and walked down the hallway towards the school exit, leaving Kaito alone.

Ushio still stood to the side of Sato and his friends. Looking around the hall she landed on a lonely Kaito stood by the food table. Letting out a sigh she spoke. "Sato" She said yet the boy didn't reply. "Sato" She said again. "Sato!" She yelled as she pulled his arm.

"What?" Sato asked. "I'm kinda telling a story here" He stated.

"I'm going to get something to eat okay?" Ushio said.

"Yeah okay" Sato laughed "Bring me something would you?" Sato turned back around to face his friends. Ushio rolled her eyes as she made her way over to the food stand.

"Hi" She smiled as she stood next to Kaito.

"Hey" Katio replied as he took a sip of his drink.

"Where's your date?" Ushio asked.

"Oh, yeah, that didn't work out" Kaito nodded. Ushio nodded as well.

"I'm sorry to hear that" She said.

"Yeah well, you win some, you lose some."

"I suppose" Ushio replied. Kaito looked over to Sato.

"How's it going?"

"Oh, yeah wonderful" Ushio replied in a sarcastic tone.

"Umhmm" Kaito smiled.

"Don't do that 'I told you so' face" Ushio chuckled as she gentle hit Kaito on the arm.

"Sorry..." Kaito said.

"No, you were right though. Sato is a prick" She laughed.

"Ushio, I don't believe I've ever heard you swear before" Kaito said in a posh manner.

"He's ignored me all night" Ushio stated "I really don't want to go back there..." Kaito smiled at her as he raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" She asked.

"Look, Ushio I know I've been a dick, I should've just asked you days ago..." He sighed.

"Kaito, you're not suggesting" Ushio began.

"That you ditch Sato and we spend the rest of tonight as each others dates?" Kaito asked.

"That had crossed my mind" Ushio smiled.

"So is that a yes?" Kaito asked. Ushio looked over to Sato as she saw him laughing with his friends.

"He wont even notice I'm gone" Ushio stated "Kaito, I'd love to be your date" She nodded.

"You won't regret it" Kaito smiled as Ushio smiled back.

"Hey guys!" Takeshi roared as he and Yumi interrupted the two of them.

"Hey" Ushio smiled.

"Where are your dates?" Yumi asked.

"Yeah, those didn't work out" Kaito said.

"So, you two are?" Yumi asked as Ushio nodded.

"Yep, we're each other's dates" Ushio smiled.

"Woohoo!" Takeshi beamed.

"That's great" Yumi smiled as she winked at Kaito.

"Did I just hear that right?" A voice asked from behind them. Juni had come up from behind Kaito as he put an arm around his friend.

"Yeah man" Kaito laughed.

"I think that's great" Juni stated as he smiled at the two of them.

"Where's Kumiko?" Ushio asked.

"Oh, she went to the bathroom" Juni said.

"Powderin' her nose ey?" Takeshi asked with a grin.

"Something like that" Juni laughed. Just then Kumiko returned from the bathroom as she came up next to Juni.

"Hello" She smiled.

"Hey Kumi" Ushio smiled.

"I've just been in the bathroom... I just say Hayashi, that council member. She was being sick" Kumiko stated.

"Oh, I feel so horrible for her" Yumi said with a smirk.

"Yeah... My bad" Takeshi chuckled.

"What?" Yumi asked as the others looked at him.

"Don't be mad but I kinda spike her drink a little" Takeshi laughed.

"Takeshi!" Kumiko gasped.

"No, no it's not that bad. I guess she just couldn't handle it is all."

"You said you didn't have any alcohol on you!" Yumi yelled.

"Well, I lied. I thought I'd get her back for you Yumi, those things she was saying, she's was horrible" Takeshi said as he folded his arms. A smile came over Yumi's face.

"Takeshi..." She sighed. "Thank you for sticking up for me but... You promise me, never do anything like that every again" Yumi stated.

"Okay, I promise" Takeshi nodded. Yumi smiled at him as he laughed.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's illegal dude" Kaito said.

"Nah, that's only if you do something to the person afterwards" Takeshi replied.

"It's definitely not" Juni added.

"Then it's a grey area" Takeshi said.

"I doubt that" Juni said.

"Hang on" Kumiko uttered. She looked to Ushio and Kaito. "You're dates aren't here... Are you two?"

"Yep" Ushio smiled.

"Yay!" Kumiko cheered as she hugged her friend. "Thank god, I really didn't like that Sato" She laughed.

"Don't remind me" Ushio replied.

"Great, so everything worked out" Takeshi smiled.

"Actually man, there's one thing we need to do" Kaito stated.

"What's that?" Ushio asked.

"Follow me" He said, they all did.

Over by the photo board, Kenji was packing away his equipment. "You know what the best thing is about dating you Kenji?" Amaya asked as she packed a box of film.

"What's that?" He asked.

"Having to tidy away your camera stuff" She laughed, Kenji smiled at her.

"Kenji, my man!" Kaito yelled as the six of them came over.

"Hey guys" Kenji replied.

"You remember a while back, you said you'd do us a favour, a photography favour?" Kaito asked.

"Sure" Kenji laughed.

"Well, I see you're packing up but, would you mind taking a photo or two of us all?" Kaito asked. Kenji looked over their smiling faces as he nodded.

"You got it" He smiled. Kaito took hold of Ushio's arm.

"Ushio" He began "Let's get a photo of us together, the others have one, I wouldn't want to be without a photograph of me and my date" Kaito smiled. Ushio nodded as she looked to the others. They all had rather large smiles on their faces. Takeshi gave her a thumbs up.

"I'd love to" She nodded. Ushio and Kaito stood in front of the camera as Kaito took her hand in his. They smiled as Kenji took the photograph.

"You two look great" Amaya smiled.

"Now all of us?" Katio said. Kenji nodded at him. The six of them all stood in front of the camera. Kaito and Ushio stood in the middle as Juni and Kumiko stood to the right of Kaito. They were holding hands. Yumi was on the left of Ushio as she put an arm around her friend. Takeshi was knelt down at the front, pulling an over the top pose. Kaito was in the middle as he smiled at the camera.

"Three, two, one..." Click! The photo was taken.

The six of them spent the rest of the night dancing, eating and laughing. An hour or so later the night was coming to an end as Kaito took Ushio off to the side. "Want to go for a walk? He asked.

"Sure" Ushio smiled as they exited the large hall, leaving their friends to their dancing. They came out into the school courtyard as they sat on the circular stone wall which surrounded several trees. "You know, they rebuilt this school about 20 years ago" Ushio said as they looked over the building.

"Really?" Kaito asked.

"Yeah, my parents attended here. They used to sit on this very wall at lunch" She smiled. "I'm glad they've still maintained some of the old structures here, this town is forever changing, something's need to stay the same" Ushio stated. Kaito looked at Ushio as she gazed over the flowers and trees. "I really do love it here" She smiled.

"Yeah..."

"What about you? She asked.

"Do I love it here?"

"Yeah" She nodded.

"You asked me a question like that long time ago didn't you?" He wondered.

"I did" She smiled.

"Back then, I hated this place; I hated nearly everything back then..." Kaito stated, Ushio looked on at him, studying his face. "But, since I met you and all these wonderful people came into my life, well, things have changed." He said. "Now, now I love this place, I love this town... I really do love this school Ushio" He laughed.

"I'm glad" She smiled.

"Yeah... And really, it's all thanks to you" Kaito said, Ushio blushed slightly. "I know I haven't exactly been honest about things... I haven't been honest to myself most of all" Kaito admitted. "You've been there for me Ushio, whenever I needed someone to take care of me or just cheer me up, well, it's always been you" He stated.

"Well, you mean a lot to me Kaito" Ushio smiled.

"And you mean so much to me as well. I, I don't think I've ever felt this way before."

"What do you mean?"

"I-I never want to be without you Ushio, I want to spend every single moment I can with you..."

"I can't think of anything I would want more" She smiled as a tear came to her eye.

"I-I am so in love with Ushio, I really am."

"Kaito..." Ushio whispered as a tear fell down her cheek.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he caught the tear with his finger. Ushio held his hand with hers.

"Nothing's wrong, everything seems to be going so right" She smiled.

"I really do love you Ushio..." Kaito stated.

"I-I love you too" She smiled. Kaito leant in towards Ushio as she did the same. Kaito had never felt a feeling as strong as did in that moment. They both pursed their lips as they touched; it was a soft, gentle kiss... Soft and gentle, just like Ushio, Kaito thought. Kaito knew that he had found someone who would accept him as he was, someone he would never stop loving, he had found Ushio. Kaito knew, from that moment on, that he would never ever want to lose her.

**~*40*~**

_Finaaaally! ... Stay tuned. :) _


	41. Sato, Our Captain

_Key: Chapter jumps between past and present.  
>Anything below: ~*Pd*~ = Present<br>Anything below: ~*Pst*~ = Past_

**~*41*~**

"What's wrong?" He asked as he caught Ushio's tear with his finger. Ushio held his hand with hers.

"Nothing's wrong, everything seems to be going so right" She smiled.

"I really do love you Ushio..." Kaito stated.

"I-I love you too" She smiled. Kaito leant in towards Ushio as she did the same. Kaito had never felt a feeling as strong as he did in that moment. They both pursed their lips as they touched; it was a soft, gentle kiss... Soft and gentle, just like Ushio, Kaito thought. Kaito knew that he had found someone who would accept him as he was, someone he would never stop loving, he had found Ushio. Kaito knew, from that moment on, that he would never ever want to lose her.

Back in the main hall, Juni and Kumiko sat off to the side as they looked on at the other students on the dance floor. Kumiko placed her hand in Juni's as he squeezed it tight. "You shouldn't have risked your future like that Juni..." Kumiko said in a weak voice.

"It'll be okay Kumi, I promise" Juni replied as he kissed her forehead. Kumiko nodded slowly as they returned their gaze to the dance floor.

It was 11:58 pm, Kaito and Takeshi had just got back from their ball. Kaito made his way to the spare bedroom of Takeshi's house; it had now become his room. There wasn't much to it; merely a small bed lay at one end with a closet and desk, much like Kaito's room at his own house. Still, he never complained, it was familiar for him. Taking off his shoes, jacket and tie and unbuttoning his waistcoat; Kaito fell back onto his bed. He thought back to the events of the night as a large grin came over his face.

Juni lay back onto his bed; he was still staying with Kumiko and her family. His predicament was rather similar to Kaito's, yet it was very different at the same time. Juni stared at his phone, awaiting something that may never come. It was getting late, he wouldn't receive the call at this hour, he thought to himself. Brushing his hand through his red locks he placed his phone on the small table that lay beside his bed. Letting out a sigh he began to think back over the past few days, then weeks, then months... A lot had happened, things had changed and Juni had changed. Closing his eyes, Juni began to drift off into a deep sleep, taking him away from his present worries, and, those yet to come.

~*_Pd_*~

"What d'ya mean I don't have the right kit?!" Takeshi bellowed as he stood in front of the P.E teacher. A week had passed since the leaver's ball and things were, for the most part, back to normal.

"Fujimoto! Yellow socks and white shorts are not a part of the required uniform."

"I'm having financial troubles!" Takeshi lied. The beefy P.E teacher pointed to a door at the end of the locker room.

"Go to see Mr. Kagome, borrow the kit."

"But those things aren't even washed!" Takeshi cried.

"Do it" The man replied in a blunt voice. Letting out a sigh Takeshi looked to Kaito and Juni.

"We'll meet you outside" Juni smiled as Takeshi waved them off. He headed down the locker room towards Mr. Kagome's office. As Takeshi came towards the door he stopped. He could hear muffled voices coming from the other side. He placed his ear to the door as he listened in.

"Please sir, we need him" One voice said.

"There's nothing I can do" A man replied, it was Mr. Kagome. Takeshi placed a finger in his free ear as he pressed the other closer to the door. "Besides, I only see you coming here to ask."

"Sato wouldn't like it" The other voice said, Takeshi had determined that it must have been a student, especially with the mention of Sato.

"Of course not..." Mr. Kagome sighed. "Look, I can't take Sakumoto, not even for the last game."

"Sakumoto?" Takeshi mumbled.

"Not after what happened. The principle wouldn't allow it."

"It wasn't even him" The boy replied. "No disrespect but its common knowledge that it was Fujimoto who pelted the principle with water balloons" The boy scoffed. The man let out a sigh.

"Rumours aren't enough evidence to lift Sakumoto's ban from rugby" Mr. Kagome sighed. "He confessed, that's all there is to it."

"Bu-"

"We also have a full squad; I can't let him in if there's no room. 17 players is the max. 15 on field and 2 on the bench, I'm sorry but that's that." Takeshi backed away from the door as he let out a sigh. It was all his fault, Takeshi thought to himself... It was. Takeshi made his way over to a locker as he collected his bag and made his way out of the locker room and out to the back of the school.

"Shit!" Takeshi yelled as his fist met one of the school's walls. "Shit, shit, shit!" He roared. Turning around he sat on the ground. "Well done Keshi, you've fucked it for him..." Takeshi mumbled to himself. Letting out a sigh, Takeshi made his way down the side of school. As he came to the end of the long running wall he looked out on to the school courts. They were surrounded by cage like fencing. There were a few baseball, soccer and tennis courts. Takeshi could make out Juni and Kaito passing a ball between them as their class ran drills.

"Where's Keshi gone to?" Kaito asked as he chipped the ball to Juni.

"No idea" Juni shrugged.

"He better hurry up" Kaito stated as Juni nodded. Takeshi let out a sigh as he turned and made for the exit of the school grounds.

"Why did he leave?" Ushio asked as she and Kaito lay down on her rolled out futon, hand in hand.

"Dunno, he just texted me saying he was okay and that he'll see me later... Kinda weird" Kaito said with a chuckle.

"I hope he's okay" Ushio sighed.

"He will be" Kaito smiled. Ushio laid her head against Kaito's chest, closing her eyes she began to hum. "Ushio? What are you doing?" Kaito asked.

"I just like your heart beat" Ushio said in her gentle tone.

"Really?"

"Yes, it's nice" She said as she gave a slight nod.

"Thanks I guess..." Kaito laughed.

"What's so funny?" Ushio asked.

"No one's ever said anything like that to me before" Kaito grinned.

"Then I'm glad to be the first" Ushio smiled as she looked up at him. Ushio lent her head towards Kaito's as he did the same. Their lips touched as they shared a gentle kiss.

_~*Pst*~_

Juni woke up to a loud ringing sound that morning. He shot up from his bed as he darted towards his phone. Picking it up and sliding the screen across with his finger, he placed the phone to his ear. "Hello?" He said.

"Yes, is this Junichiro Akimoto?"

"Yes" Juni replied with a nod.

"My name is Taro Kudara. I oversee College applications for several schools in Japan. I'm calling about your application to the University of London."

"Right" Juni replied in a worried tone.

"I understand that there were some concerns on the University's part, regarding recent events involving you and another boy at your school?"

"That's right" Juni replied.

"Yes, well, I'm afraid I have some bad news..."

_~*Pd*~_

"Kaito" Takeshi said as he, Kaito and Yumi made their way out of homeroom, ending the day.

"Yeah?"

"You go to mine alone today; I have to go do something."

"What are you doing?" Yumi asked as she stared at Takeshi with her bright, blue eyes.

"Nothing..." Takeshi muttered.

"Then if you're doing nothing come back with me?" Kaito suggested with a laugh.

"No, I'm doing something..."

"Really?" Yumi asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"I'm meeting a girl okay?" Takeshi uttered. Yumi and Kaito shared a look.

"Bullshit" Kaito laughed. Takeshi went red.

"No it's not" He mumbled.

"You're really meeting a girl?" Yumi asked in a croaky voice.

"Yeah..." Takeshi sighed.

"Alright... See you later" Yumi huffed as she turned and began to make her way down the hallway.

"See you later man" Kaito said as he rolled his eyes and began to follow Yumi. Takeshi stood there as he watched his friends leave. He also turned to leave, yet, not before cursing under his breath at how stupid he had been.

_~*Pst*~_

"That sucks man" Takeshi sighed as he sat down next to Juni and Kaito. They were on a grass banking which over looked a rather large river. Across it lay the outskirts of Hikarizaka, leading on to the next town.

"I have no idea what I'm going to tell Kumi..." Juni sighed as he placed his head in his hands. Kaito looked out across the river and on towards the landscape. After contemplating what to say he spoke.

"You have a back up, right?"

"What do you mean?" Juni asked.

"A back up, you know another college?" Kaito replied.

"One or two... But it's not about that, I'm not going to be going with Kumi now" Juni sighed.

"I think the most important thing is that you get into a college Juni, not that you're with Kumi-Chan" Stated Kaito. Juni looked to Kaito as he gave a stern look. Kaito looked back to the view as Takeshi spoke.

"He's right Juni, I mean, what happens to you is way more important than some girl you've been dating for a few months."

"How can you say that Keshi?! Kumi is your friend too!" Juni yelled as he stood up, his face had turned red. Kaito stood to face him.

"Calm down man, what Keshi means is that you need to sort your own shit out before you can even think about you and Kumiko" Kaito stated.

"Right" Added Takeshi "If you don't have a clear head Juni then you're gonna mess up." Letting out a sigh, Juni sat back down on the banking.

"I know" He nodded. The two others joined him as Juni spoke again. "Can we please talk about something else now?" He asked.

"Sure pal" Kaito smiled. Takeshi looked over to Kaito as a small grin appeared on his face.

"So what happened with you and Ushio?" He asked "You never did tell us."

"Yeah, I want to know" Juni added with a nod.

"Well" Kaito began as he let out a sigh.

"Spit it out man" Takeshi laughed.

"We, we told each other how we felt... And now..."

"Yes?" Juni asked.

"We're together" Kaito said as a beaming smile came across his face.

_~*Pd*~_

Takeshi made his way over to the school fields as he noticed several players of the rugby team practicing. At the side of the players, there stood their coach, Mr. Kagome. Takeshi walked over towards the man as a few of the students stopped as they looked to Takeshi. "Why have you stopped training?" Mr. Kagome asked. Sato, who was among the players, pointed over to their visitor as Mr. Kagome turned around and was met with Takeshi's grin. "Fujimoto?" He uttered "Can we help you?"

"Sir, I was wonderin' if I could talk with you for a minute." He stated.

"We're in the middle of a session right now, can it wait?" Mr. Kagome asked as Takeshi shook his head. "Fine, Sato, run the drills" Mr. Kagome ordered. Sato nodded as he called for the players to follow him.

"Senzo!" Sato yelled as he noticed one of his team mates still watching Takeshi, it was the boy from the locker room when Takeshi had over heard the conversation about Kaito. Senzo looked to Sato as he nodded and followed.

"Right, what is it?" Mr. Kagome asked as he looked down to Takeshi.

"Yeah, well. I was, well I wasn't eavesdropping or anything but I heard you and someone talking about Kaito Sakumoto yesterday." Mr. Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, it actually was me who pulled that prank on the principle back then, yanno, with the water balloons?" Takeshi laughed as he shrugged his shoulders.

"So, you let your friend take the blame and as a result he was kicked off of the Rugby team..." Mr. Kagome stated bluntly.

"No, Kaito never told me that, if I knew that then I would've said something..."

"So what is it you want me to do?" Mr. Kagome asked.

"If I tell the principle it was actually me who did it, couldn't you let Kaito back on the team? Just for the last game or something?" Takeshi asked. Mr Kagome let out a sigh.

"Look, I would love to have him back, that kid had so much potential but its way too late now."

"I knew it was a long shot" Takeshi sighed.

"I need to get back to training..." Mr. Kagome said as he studied Takeshi. "Do you have your boots with you?"

"In my bag" Takeshi nodded.

"Come train with us, after we'll talk okay? I'm not promising anything but I may be able to sort something out."

"Thank you sir" Takeshi beamed as he began to take his shoes off.

"Hurry up" Mr. Kagome replied as he turned to go and train his team.

"Right!" Takeshi nodded. He took a deep breath as he finished tying his laces. "Don't worry Kaito" He muttered "I've got your back."

_~*Pst*~_

Kaito and Ushio walked through the school cafeteria, hand in hand as Takeshi and Yumi walked along behind them. As they made their way past a large table, Kaito noticed a familiar figure walking towards him. "Mr. Sakumoto! You stud!" The person laughed as he came in view. It was Sato.

"Drop it" Kaito replied.

"No hard feelings, right Ushio?" He asked as he gave her a wink.

"Right" Ushio said as she looked to the floor. A few other students had noticed the hold up as they looked over to see what the fuss was about.

"Just leave it Sato" Takeshi said as he popped up between Ushio and Kaito.

"Piss off, you're not worth my time" Sato laughed as he pushed past them. Takeshi clenched his fist as he was about to go for Sato yet, Kaito grabbed his shoulder. Turning around to face his friend, Takeshi spoke.

"What're you doing man? Come on, I've got your back, let's go."

"No Keshi, let's just leave okay?" Kaito suggested as he looked to Ushio. She smiled as she nodded at him. The two of them began to walk away as Yumi took Takeshi's arm.

"Don't worry" She whispered "I would've done the same."

_~*Pd*~_

Takeshi ran back to the line of players as he waited for his turn to take a run at a large pad. The team were running drills which involved tackling practice. A few heads in front of him stood Sato. Another boy ran behind Takeshi as he joined the line. "I know what you're doing" He said.

"What's that?" Takeshi asked.

"Trying to get Sakumoto back on the team, right?"

"Well, it's not exactly a secret" Takeshi sighed.

"I'm Senzo" The boy smiled as he offered a hand.

"Takeshi" Takeshi replied as he shook it.

"I know, water balloons, right?" Senzo chuckled.

"Yeah" Takeshi nodded.

"I've wanted Sakumoto back for ages; we haven't been doing so well... He's really good so it kind of sucks that our best player and captain is Sato... He's a prick" Senzo whispered as Takeshi nodded in agreement.

"It's not gonna work yanno" A voice said. Takeshi looked up as he saw Sato. "The guys a bum, he's not getting back on the team."

"We'll see" Takeshi replied, attempting to fight his rage.

"Right! Head to five on five" Mr. Kagome yelled.

"Come on" Senzo said as he gestured for Takeshi to follow. Takeshi, Senzo and three others stood at the end of a smaller pitched which was lined with cones. "We're defending, Sato's team is attacking."

"Wait so I get to beat the shit out of Sato?" Takeshi asked.

"It's just light tackles, nothing too heavy."

"I see" Takeshi sighed. At the other end of the pitch Sato continued to shout insults to Takeshi.

"Your buddy sucks man!" Sato laughed.

"Just ignore him, we do" One of the boys on Senzo's team stated. Sato was handed the ball as he began to sprint down the pitch, still throwing insults at Takeshi.

"You're shit" He laughed "Come on catch me!" He yelled as Takeshi ran forwards. "Your pal's a fucking bum, his girlfriends a slut!" He scoffed. Suddenly, as more and more insults continued to come Takeshi's way, something inside him snapped. He bolted forwards, fuming. As Sato and Takeshi came close, Sato attempted to side step him. As he dance around the blonde haired boy, Takeshi reached out and grabbed Sato by the arm. Swinging him around he drove him into the ground as a loud crack was heard, what followed was Sato yelling in pain. "My arm, my arm!" Takeshi got off of Sato as his eyes fell on Sato's arm which was bent backwards. The other players began to crowd around as Sato continued to cry out.

"What ha-" Mr. Kagome uttered as he ran over, yet he was cut off by another one of Sato's cries. All eyes landed on Takeshi as he uttered one word.

"Shit."

**~*41*~**


	42. Kaito, Our Saviour

_Key: Chapter jumps between past and present.  
>Anything below: ~*Pd*~ = Present<br>Anything below: ~*Pst*~ = Past_

**~*42*~**

"Do you have any idea how serious this is?" The principle asked as Takeshi, Mr. Kagome and Senzo sat across from her.

"Sure, dislocated arm..." Takeshi nodded. The principle let out a sigh.

"Why is it always you Fujimoto? Whenever there's trouble it's always you or your two friends that are involved."

"I've been asking myself that for a while now" Takeshi retorted.

"Don't be smart with me young man" The principle replied.

"Sorry" Takeshi mumbled. The principle looked to Senzo as she spoke.

"What happened then?" She asked. Senzo looked to her and then to Takeshi and then to his coach.

"It's like I told coach, Sato was insulting Takeshi and his friends, one thing lead to another and Takeshi made a bad tackle... It was an accident, at least that's what I saw."

"Right" The principle nodded, she turned to Mr. Kagome whose eyes met the floor. "Kagome..." She began as the man looked back up.

"Yes?"

"Why was Fujimoto training with you? He is not a member of the rugby team."

"He wanted to get Sakumoto back on the team, so I said I didn't have time to talk but I would afterwards, I told him he could train with the team for the day."

"Smart idea..." The principle sighed.

"That's something I was hoping to speak to you about" Mr. Kagome said, resuming his trail of speech. "Our last match is coming up in a few weeks. We're a player short now..."

"No, he's not playing, not after what happened" The principle replied as she folded her arms.

"Bu-"

"No Kagome, I'm not hearing i-"

"Please miss" Takeshi interrupted. The principle went silent as she looked to Takeshi; his face went red as he spoke. "It wasn't Ka- er, Sakumoto who did it."

"Excuse me?" The principle uttered.

"The balloons... It wasn't him, it was... It was me" Takeshi sighed. The principle looked stunned as she stared at the boy. "He said he'd take the blame for me, he didn't want me to get suspended so he said he'd do it."

"And you let him?" The principle asked.

"I didn't know that he'd get kicked off the Rugby team, he never told me that was the reason he wasn't playing anymore... I only found out because I heard Mr. Kagome talking about it."

"After all this time, you've only come forward now?" The principle asked rhetorically. Takeshi kept his gaze fixed on the woman as she turned to Mr. Kagome. "Kagome, if you feel that Sakumoto is the best replacement, then, by all means, have him back on the team for your last game."

"Thank you" Mr. Kagome nodded. A slight smile came over Senzo's face. Takeshi's face remained blank as he continued to stare at the woman in front of him. As she turned to him Takeshi's knees went weak yet he held himself up, bracing himself.

"Fujimoto."

"Yes miss?"

"You'll attend 2 hour Saturday detentions from now until you graduate" She stated. _Two months?_ Takeshi thought to himself, _that's not so bad_.

"Okay" Takeshi nodded.

"You'll also act as water boy for the chess club" The principle added with a smirk.

"What?! The chess club don't even have a water boy..." Takeshi uttered.

"They do now" The principle replied as Takeshi hung his head with a sigh.

_~*Pst*~_

"Still not working" Sighed Masaru as he and Juni continued their work on his run down car.

"Maybe it isn't something to do with the electrics after all" Stated Juni.

"Maybe..."

"Anyway, I need to go and get ready; Kumiko and I are going out."

"Yeah sure, I know. You don't have to hang out with me kid."

"You know I'd stay here, I find this stuff really interesting" Juni smiled.

"Don't be sarcastic with me" Masaru replied.

"I wasn-" Juni began.

"Kid, don't make my daughter wait" Masaru said with a smirk. Juni nodded with a smile as he left to go and find Kumiko.

_~*Pd*~_

"You did what?!" Kaito yelled as he, Takeshi and Ushio sat in Takeshi's room. It was rather untidy so Kaito and Ushio were perched on the edge of Takeshi's bed as he laid out on the floor.

"Dislocated his arm" Takeshi said in a rather calm tone as his head rose up from the ground.

"On purpose?" Ushio asked.

"Sorta, I mean, after finding out about what happened when you took the blame for me... And all the things Sato was saying about you, well, I wanted to hurt the guy... I didn't exactly mean to put him out of the game" Takeshi smirked.

"Takeshi, that's really bad!" Ushio scolded. She then folded her arms and turned her head away. A few seconds later her gaze fell back to Takeshi. "What do you mean when you say _put him out of the game_?"

"Well obviously the dude can't play now so they're looking for a new player for their last match" Grinned Takeshi as he looked to Kaito.

"Keshi..." Kaito uttered.

"They want you man" Takeshi smiled.

"No, no and a million times no" Kaito replied.

"Dude..." Takeshi sighed.

"No" Kaito said as he shook his head.

"Why not?" Ushio smiled.

"Because I haven't played in over a year. I'm not good enough to just pick it back up."

"Kaito, I've seen you play man. You're really, really good. You're better than the majority of people on that team" Takeshi stated.

"I dunno" Kaito replied as he let out a sigh.

"I think you should" Ushio began as the two boys looked at her. "What Takeshi did to Sato was bad... But, at least if you play they have a chance of winning and that might make Sato feel a little better... You'd also make the situation a little more bearable for him" Ushio smiled. Kaito looked on at her as his mind began to race. _Why was Ushio concerned about Sato? _He thought to himself, as he was about to speak, he was cut off by Takeshi.

"Plus, you'll get to play again man" Takeshi smiled.

"Right" Ushio nodded "I really want to see you play."

"Really?" Kaito asked.

"Yep, I've heard a lot about it from Takeshi and Juni" She laughed.

"Come on man, go for it" Takeshi grinned. Kaito sat there, contemplating the situation for a moment. Letting out a sigh he spoke.

"Okay" He said "I'll do it."

_~*Pst*~_

Juni and Kumiko strolled along the road. The weather was quite bitter so the two of them had wrapped up in scarves and hats. Kumiko places her hand, which was kept warm by her pink mitten, in Juni's as they continued walking. "Why is it so cold?" Kumiko asked as her breath caught the air, creating a mist.

"It's still technically winter" Juni smiled, Kumiko nodded in agreement.

"I wish spring would hurry up; then we're one step closer to summer. After that, we'll be on our way to England" She said in a sweet tone. Juni hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Yeah, summer should be good" He stated "We could go to the beach?" He suggested.

"That would be nice" Kumiko nodded, "We could also double date with Kaito and Ushio as well" She giggled.

"Maybe even triple date, Yumi and Keshi" He said with a mischievous wink.

"Don't be silly."

"What? There's definitely something between them."

"Really?" Kumiko laughed. Juni nodded at her as they shared a smile. They continued along their way, yet, Juni's paced suddenly slowed to a stop. Kumiko felt her arm being pulled back, as if she was dragging something along. She turned to face Juni, his head was down. "Juni? What's wrong?" She asked as she approached him. Juni looked up with a weak smile.

"Listen, Kumi, there's something I need to tell you..." He sighed.

"What is it?" Kumiko asked in a croaky voice. It was rare for Juni to be so down in her presence, yet it wasn't unusual for him to have a problem. After all, it seemed that when one problem ended for the boy, another one was waiting just around the corner. "Juni?" Kumiko asked again. Letting out a sigh, the red headed boy began to speak.

"I... I can't do this to you Kumi..." He stated.

"What do you mean?"

"I-I'm not... I'm not going to England" Juni uttered. Kumiko became confused, as she tried to understand what Juni had said she was began to utter a few words.

"Y-You are... We both are" She said with an uneasy laugh.

"No... I can't."

"Juni, just tell me what's happening right now... You're confusing me" Stated Kumiko.

"I got the call about my application. It... It wasn't accepted."

"W-Why not?"

"After everything with Gaku... My suspension... They wouldn't have me. I have to go for one of my back ups" Juni sighed. Tears came to the corners of Kumiko's eyes, yet, she did her best to hold them back.

"You're saying... You're saying that we're not going to be together... B-Because of your stupid suspension?!" She yelled. Passerbies began to look on at the couple yet Kumiko kept her eyes fixed on Juni.

"I'm sorry Kumi..."

"No, Juni! You have to do something, can't you appeal t-there has to be something!"

"Kumi..." Juni said in a soft tone as he grabbed her hands. "There's nothing I can do..." Kumiko began to cry as Juni held her in his arms.

"How is this going to work?" She asked in a muffled voice. Juni stayed quite for a moment, he kept a tight squeeze on Kumiko. Then, he slowly released her as he spoke.

"I think" He began "I think it might be time that I moved back in with my parents." Kumiko looked up to him as she slowly backed away.

"If you think that's for the best" She said with a croaky voice. Juni gave a weak smile as he nodded at her.

"I do."

_~*Pd*~_

Ushio and Kaito were sat down in her living room as Nagisa stood in the kitchen, preparing a meal. She was singing her usual song about a family of dumplings as Kaito began to speak. "Ushio?" He asked.

"Yeah?" She replied with a smile. They were sat on the sofa; Ushio was laying her head upon Kaito's shoulder.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course" Ushio replied as she raised her head, looking towards the boy. Kaito's eyes scanned the room as he brought himself to speak again. "Kaito?"

"It's about Sato..." He said.

"Okay" Ushio uttered as she raised an eyebrow.

"It's just something that's been bugging me a bit, and with what you said before, well..."

"Wait... Start from the beginning?" Ushio suggested with a laugh.

"Right" Kaito nodded as he smiled. "Look, I'm not one to usually get jealous or anything... I don't want you to think that of me anyway."

"I don't" She smiled.

"I just... Well, why did you go to the dance with Sato?" Kaito asked, Ushio looked away for a moment, and then her gaze returned to Kaito.

"I really wanted to go with you Kaito. Kumi and Yumi told me not to ask you though... They weren't entirely sure how you felt about me so they didn't want me to get hurt."

"Me, hurt you?" Kaito asked "Ushio I'd nev-"

"I know" She smiled as she took his hand. "I know you wouldn't. It's just... Well, everything with you and Hiroshima... I just didn't know how you felt is all... And then it seemed like you weren't going to ask me, and there was no one else who even noticed me" Ushio stated with a weak smile. "When Sato asked, well, by that time I thought you had made up your mind. I didn't know how bad of a person he was, like I said before, he was always nice to me."

"Yeah, because he liked you..." Kaito sighed. Ushio gave a shrug at his words.

"The point is, since I've seen how horrible he has been to you, well... You don't even know how glad I am that things ended up the way they did, that we ended up with each other" She smiled.

"Okay" Kaito nodded. "Then what about what you said before? About making Sato feel better? If he's such a horrible person, why are you so worried?"

"That's completely different..."

"How?"

"Well, Takeshi has pretty much ruined the one thing that Sato cares about... I mean how did you feel when you were told you couldn't play?" Ushio asked.

"No, that's what's different. That was my choice; I was doing it for Takeshi."

"Exactly, you don't know how Sato feels. He has nothing now and it makes me rather upset that we're indirectly the cause of that."

"But it was Keshi..."

"But he did it for us, for you Kaito" Ushio stated. Kaito let out a sigh. "Listen, it's the same thing with Hiroshima."

"How so?" Kaito questioned.

"Well, she liked you a lot, right?"

"I suppose."

"How did you feel when you told her you didn't want to be with her?" Ushio asked. Kaito thought that this was a strange topic; he was beginning to regret even mentioning Sato. Still, he remained focused, at least for Ushio's sake.

"I... I dunno, I felt guilty I guess. I mean, I don't have any feelings for her but..."

"You still feel bad for her?"

"I guess."

"And that's how it is for me. I don't have to feel anything for Sato to know that he's not in a good place right now. Despite that, I do feel sorry for him. The fact that you do for Hiroshima is why I love you Kaito" Ushio smiled "You have a good heart." Kaito felt a smile appear on his face.

"You do too" Kaito replied.

"So... Can't we just leave it? Aren't we happy that we're together now?" She asked.

"Of course" Kaito said "I've never been happier."

"Neither have I" Ushio smiled.

"I'm sorry" Kaito uttered. Ushio lent over as she kissed him on his cheek.

"Don't be" She whispered in her gentle voice. A cough came from the behind the two as they looked up. Nagisa was stood in the kitchen's archway; she wore her Dango apron and held a large spoon in her hand.

"Dinner's ready you two" She smiled, Ushio nodded as Nagisa returned to the stove, ready to serve the prepared meal.

"Come on" Ushio said as she placed out her hand to Kaito "Let's eat".

_~*Pst*~_

Juni stood in the hallway of his old house; he had a few bags with him. His parents approached as his mother embraced him, placing her arms around him while Juni did the same. "You're looking well" She smiled as they parted. "You've been eating okay?" She asked.

"Yeah" Juni said with a chuckle. Behind his mother, Juni saw a familiar face approach. "Hey dad" Juni smiled. Isao hobbled over on his crutches as his son approached. Placing his crutches to the side, Isao put out his arms. Juni then did something that he hadn't done in a long time, he hugged his father. Isao wrapped his arms around the boy as Juni spoke. "I've missed you two" He said.

"And we've missed you" Isao replied in a soft tone as he kissed the top of his son's head. Junko looked on at the two with a smile spread across her face.

_~*Pd*~_

It was the day of Kaito's big match, the final match of the year for the rugby team. Kaito had attended several training sessions with the team and, for the most part, had been warmly welcomed. Many of the players were glad to have him back. Kaito sat alone in the locker room; he had just finished putting on his boots. He stood up and glanced at himself in the mirror. His uniform consisted of black and red patterns. They formed several slashes; supposedly, this represented the animalistic qualities of the team. His shorts were black and, like his shirt, his socks had slashes of red and black on them. Kaito's boots were the only thing that belonged to him, he had managed to squeeze into them after not playing for so long, and he felt at home wearing them. A voice spoke from behind Kaito as he turned around. "You okay?" It asked.

"Oh, hey Senzo" Kaito replied. Senzo wore the same kit as Kaito. The two had recently become re-acquainted since Kaito began training with the team. "I'm fine."

"Good" Senzo nodded as he took a seat on one of the small benches that lay throughout the room. Kaito stayed focused on himself in the mirror as Senzo spoke again. "No pressure today" He began "We know you haven't played for quite a long time. No one expects anything amazing."

"Good, I don't really think I could deliver if they did" Kaito replied.

"You're just filling in for Sato; I know you wont but don't feel down if you make a mistake. We're all a team after all."

"Thanks man" Kaito smiled as he turned around. Senzo nodded as he made for the exit of the room. As he was about to leave he spoke.

"Kaito" He said, the dark haired boy turned to face Senzo. "I'm glad you're back" He said, he then turned and left the room, leaving Kaito alone.

The team lined up across the width of the pitch as they were about to start. The other team had spread out into their positions as they were about to receive the ball from Hikarizaka Private's kick. Kaito stood off to the side, he was playing as a forward, his speciality was mainly a defensive player, yet he made quite a few yards on offensive runs as well. He looked over to his right, he saw Mr. Kagome on the sidelines along with Mr. Miyagi who had turned up to watch. Off to the side of them stood his friends, Takeshi, Yumi, Juni, Kumiko and Ushio. Juni and Kumiko's relationship had been rather shaky since Juni's return home, yet, they still turned out to show their support for their friend, together. Kaito's eyes met Ushio's as she smiled at him. Kaito didn't react; he looked straight forward, fixated on the opposing team. Suddenly, the whistle blew, the ball was launched by Senzo's kick, Kaito and his team mates darted forwards and with that, the match had begun.

**~*42*~**


	43. Finals After Finals

**~*43*~**

As the ball flew off its stand, finding its way across the pitch to the opposing team, Kaito and his team mates jolted forwards. A winger caught the ball, as he did, Kaito locked on like a heat seeking missile. Picking up speed, the winger barely had a few seconds to set off before Kaito took him out at the waist, sending him to the floor, completing the tackle. "Yes Kaito!" Takeshi roared from the sidelines.

"That's was fast" Kumiko remarked.

"Told you he was good" Takeshi replied.

"Yeah, you did" Ushio smiled.

"Right!" Kaito yelled as he stood up from the tackle, marking up the next man as he pointed. Rolling the ball back, another player on the other team made a run. Kaito shot out to his right as he caught the boy. Yet, the boy's speed got the best of Kaito as he side-stepped him, continuing on. However, Senzo had come up with Kaito, providing support he took the boy at his knees as Kaito made for the tackle again, sending the boy to the ground.

"Nice tackle" Senzo uttered as the two of them got back up.

"Thanks for the back up" Kaito nodded.

"How's the kid doing?" A voice asked from behind Ushio and her friends. Turning around, Ushio was surprised to see Akio, Sanae, her mother and her father.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ushio asked with a smile. Her friends greeted the new arrivals as Nagisa spoke.

"We came to see Sakumoto play."

"Yeah, besides, I need to figure out the kid's game. Yanno if the occasion ever arises that we would fight to the death in a game of rugby!" Akio bellowed. The others remained silent. "I know what I mean" Akio said, folding his arms.

"I knew what you meant" Sanae said, smiling at the man.

"I knew you would Sanae!" Akio beamed. Tomoya leant over to Takeshi and Juni.

"She didn't, they always do this" He whispered as Takeshi laughed, Juni merely smiled as his returned his gaze to the pitch. Kumiko looked over to him, though still, his gaze did not change.

40 minutes had passed and the match was as intense as ever. The score sat at 34 - 30, to Hikarizaka of course. An opposing player brought the ball toward the try line of Kaito's team. He had shot past the majority of Hikarizaka Private's team, inching ever so closer to scoring. Kaito was still locked on as he perused the boy. Jolting forward, he took the boy at his knees, sending him to the ground. However, despite his efforts, Kaito had not managed to stop the boy from scoring. His arms lay stretched out, still clutching the ball as it lay on the try line. The referee blew his whistle, awarding the opposing team another 4 points. Kaito cursed under his breath as he rejoined his team, waiting for the opposing kicker to take the conversion. "Don't worry about it Kaito" Senzo said as Kaito kicked the ground, chipping out some dirt.

"Yeah man, it's fine" Another boy added "They're not gonna make this conver-" Yet, he was cut off by the ball flying over their posts, giving the opposing team another 2 points, bringing the score to 34 - 36. "Okay, maybe I spoke too soon" The boy finished. Mr. Kagome came running over.

"Kaito, what happened out there?!" He asked.

"I messed up okay?!"

"Look" Kagome began "It's half time, don't let them score again. Defence is our main objective; I don't want to see them break our lines." He concluded before he walked off the pitch.

"Come on guys" Senzo said as he tried to calm his team down, he had taken over the captain's role after Sato's injury.

"Come on what?" One of the boys replied. "Dude, if it wasn't for you and Fujimoto we'd have Sato right now and we'd be kicking ass!"

"You're pinning this on me?!" Senzo yelled. The team began to erupt into chaos as the player questioned Senzo's leadership.

"What's going on?" Kumiko asked as she and her friends stood there, watching the team.

"I dunno" Juni muttered.

"I'm sure they'll be fine" Yumi mumbled. Amongst the crowd of angered players, Kaito was beginning to fume, until...

"Everyone just shut up!" Kaito yelled, the team went quiet at his words. As Kaito tried to calm himself he looked over to the sidelines, behind the spectators he saw someone. A rather large boy, dark hair, well built. It was Sato; he had a sling around his arm, holding it in place. His expression didn't change as Kaito stared at him, he merely held his stare. Kaito looked back to the team. "Look I know some of you are pissed at me, but..." He let out a sigh. "Sato was a great player, no ones denying that right?" Kaito asked as the team nodded at him. "Sometimes we couldn't stand him; he was usually a prick sure but..." Kaito looked over to Ushio; she smiled at him as he nodded. "Rugby was Sato's life; my friend took that from him. I know this situation sucks, and, I've made mistakes so far, I admit that. I'm no Sato, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to give it my all, we all need to, we all need to stay focused and stand together." A few of the team members nodded at his words as others merely stared. "You all know that if we lose, well, we're not gonna hear the end of it from Sato. So, let's go out there and win this for... I can't believe I'm saying this but let's win this for Sato, let's win this for all of us." Kaito preached with his closing words.

"He's right" One of the boys said.

"Yeah, let's do this, we can beat these guys!" Another boy roared. Kaito tried to fight his grin. Senzo approached him as the team went quite again. Reaching for his captain's band he slowly took it off. He then held it out towards Kaito.

"Senzo..."

"Take it Kaito, we're ready to follow you man" He said. Kaito stared at the Senzo's out reached hand and the band that lay upon it. Looking up he saw the other players smiling at him, nodding. Kaito took the band out of Senzo's hand as he placed it on his arm.

"Right" Kaito said "Let's win this!" He roared as the other players echoed his words. The referee blew his whistle again as the second half began.

The rain fell heavy during that second half, the score was at 46 - 46. Ushio and the others still stood at the sidelines. "Go on kid!" Tomoya yelled as Kaito made a tackle. Takeshi stood next to Juni as he felt a dig in his ribs.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Isn't that Sato?" Juni replied as he pointed behind them. Takeshi turned around to see the boy.

"I'll be back" Takeshi said as he walked away.

"Where's Takeshi going?" Yumi asked.

"To see Sato I think" Juni said as he and the others watched Takeshi walk away. Making his way over, the dark haired boy didn't look at Takeshi. He kept his gaze fixed on the match.

"Hey" Takeshi uttered. Sato did not respond. "Look man, I just want to say sorry okay?"

"You're not sorry" Sato scoffed; his eyes still didn't meet Takeshi.

"Okay, no, I'm not all that sorry but dude, I sure as hell didn't mean to do what I did." Takeshi said as earnestly as possible. Sato remained quiet for a moment, he then spoke.

"Your boy is pretty good." Takeshi looked over to Kaito as he lead the team, giving out orders and bringing their line of defence up towards the opposing, attacking players.

"Yeah..." Takeshi nodded; his eyes were still towards Kaito. Takeshi looked back to Sato. "I'm gonna go back to my friends." Sato didn't speak, he merely nodded at Takeshi. The blonde hair boy made his way back to his friends, yet, he made note of Sato's strange behaviour. He certainly didn't expect him to be so calm.

"What happened?" Ushio asked as Takeshi returned.

"Just apologised" Takeshi said as his attention returned to the game. Just then a boy ran over to Takeshi and his friends, slightly out of breath.

"Fujimoto! Fujimoto!"

"Aw, crap!" Takeshi moaned as he saw the boy.

"Who's that?" Yumi questioned.

"Chess geek" Takeshi sighed.

"Fujimoto" The sweaty boy began as he approached.

"What?"

"I need, I need you to polish my chess set."

"What? Get out of it, I ain't doing that, I'm watchin' the game!" Takeshi scoffed.

"Fujimoto it's your job!"

"Tell it to the judge" Takeshi smirked.

"I'll tell it to the principle" The boy replied. Takeshi stopped in his tracks as he let out a sigh.

"Fine. Give it here" He said. The boy handed him the pieces.

"If you just put the solution on the rag it'll-"

"Don't tell me how to do my job" Takeshi said sharply, the boy went quiet.

"I hope you're getting paid for that" Yumi sniggered as her friends laughed. Takeshi went red as he continued to scrub the chess pieces.

"Masou! Make a run!" Kaito ordered. The boy came up to the scrum half as he was passed the ball. Jolting forwards, he collided with an opposing player yet, as he went down he quickly flipped the ball back to his team. Senzo caught the incoming ball as the play continued on. Side stepping several players, he took the ball forward. As Senzo was about to come to the try line a large boy came out of nowhere and tackled him. Senzo crashed to the ground with a thud. He cried out as the referee ran over, blowing his whistle. The other boys ran over as they helped him to his feet.

"Penalty!" The referee shouted "High tackle!"

"You've gotta be kidding!" The boy who had tackled Senzo yelled.

"Penalty" The referee repeated, the boy slumped back to his team as the referee turned to Senzo. "Reset, six tackles" He stated. Senzo nodded as he passed the ball to Kaito.

"Start off, pass it to me" Senzo said, Kaito gave a thumbs up as he tapped the ball to his foot. Throwing it to Senzo he dashed forwards and, holding out the ball he kicked it, the ball flew over the rugby posts, right through the centre. The referee blew his whistle again.

"Point to Hikarizaka Private!" He yelled. The spectators cheered as the team congratulated Senzo.

"A point huh?" Akio uttered.

"Just one" A man replied, it was Mr. Miyagi.

"Only one point?" Tomoya questioned.

"It's all they need" Mr. Miyagi replied "They keep up the defence and it's all easy from here."

"Don't jinx it Miyagi!" Mr. Kagome roared.

"Sorry!" Chuckled Mr. Miyagi.

The match was nearing its end, the score had remained 47 - 46, the added point from Senzo had made all the difference. As the last play came from the opposing team, a large boy, the very one whom had taken out Senzo, made a run. He darted past several players, barging them out of the way. He continued on, heavy footed and fast paced. He was a worthy opponent for Kaito. Kaito couldn't help but grin as the large boy came his way. Setting off and building up speed, the two boys came into contact with each other. Time seemed to slow down at that moment; the spectators looked on in anticipation, an injured, well built boy stood off in the distance, secretly hoping for Kaito's success. Kaito took a hold of the boys waist as he hit him at such a force, the ball popped out of the boy's hands and fell to the ground. The referee blew his whistle and, with that, the game was over. The crowd erupted in cheer as the team ran over to Kaito, chanting his name. "Kaito! Kaito! Kaito!"

"Yeah, go Kaito!" Takeshi roared.

"You missed a spot" The chess club member said.

"I _will_ kick the crap out of you" Takeshi replied with a scowl. The crowd continued to shout Kaito's name. Kaito relished the moment; it had been a long time since he had won a game rugby. As he was being praised, his gaze wondered over to the sidelines, past the spectators, to one figure. Sato stood their looking at Kaito, before turning to walk away he gave a nod, one which Kaito returned. With that, Sato walked away, leaving the team to their celebrations.

"That's pretty much it" Juni smiled as he finished telling the tale to Amaya, Kenji, Daiki and Takumi. They were stood outside the large hall of their school, ready to take their final maths exam.

"That's sounds pretty exciting!" Amaya uttered.

"That was bout a month ago, right?" Kenji asked.

"Yep" Juni nodded.

"How is Kaito now?"

"Yeah, he's good. That was the final so they haven't had any more cup games, just a few friendlys so he's enjoying it" Juni stated.

"What about you and Kumiko?" Amaya asked "How're you two?"

"Oh, yeah we're okay. I mean, it's been a little rocky but it's fine. We're still together and we still spend time with each other. It's just, well, counting down the days until she leaves... It's hard."

"Where is she?" Daiki asked.

"I don't know. Apparently my class was shuffled around, I guess to avoid cheating and things like that."

"Juni..." Kenji uttered.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry things ended up the way they did" Kenji sighed "I really am sorry Juni."

"It was my choice Kenji, you had nothing to do with it" The red headed boy smiled. Kenji nodded as they continued their conversation.

"Trigonometry, Algebra and... And..." Takeshi muttered as he and Kaito stood with their own class, also waiting to enter the hall. "What the hell is it Kaito?!"

"I dunno dude."

"Why don't you know?! You studied right?!" Takeshi said with hopeful eyes.

"No, did you?" Kaito smirked.

"No" Takeshi mumbled as he began to sob.

"Tears won't save you man, just wing it; as long as you pass it'll be fine."

"Dude, I don't even know enough to just pass!"

"Then, no graduation for you" Kaito laughed as Takeshi continued to sob.

Kaito and Takeshi sat near each other in the hall. Out of the corner of his eye, Kaito could see Takeshi struggling for an answer. Kaito's mind began to wander, he thought over the last few days, then weeks, then months. He had come a long way with his friends, and this test marked one of his final mile stones before he would have to say goodbye to them, to Juni, Yumi, Kumiko and even Ushio. Kaito looked back over to his friend, at least he would always have Takeshi, he said to himself with a smile. Bringing his gaze back to his desk, Kaito took a deep breath as he opened his paper, looking over the question he let out a sigh. He then took his pen and began to write, he didn't know especially what to write, but, he thought something would be better than nothing.

**~*43*~**


	44. Our Last Time

**~*44*~**

The sun shone brightly that morning as the masses of students and proud families sat in their seats. They were in front of a large stage, several teachers were up there, the principle and Mr. Miyagi stood among them. In the crowd sat Yumi, Ushio, Kumiko and Juni. However, Kumiko was sat on the front row; the other three sat further back for Kumiko had a special reason for being at the front, a very special reason indeed. They all wore their dark blue gowns with flat caps; their families were dressed formally, as did the teachers. The principle stood up as she approached the microphone that stood on its stand. "Welcome" She began, "Welcome all to Hikarizaka Private's class of 2024's graduation!"

"Keshi, hurry up man!" Kaito roared as he darted out of Takeshi's home. He wore his formal graduation gown. Takeshi hopped out of the house as he was putting on his shoes, he too wore a gown. "Why the hell did you tell your mom and brother that we'd walk there?"

"She knew I wanted to sleep in, parents get there early remember?" Takeshi replied as he tied his lace.

"Your mom caters to you too much man!" Kaito replied as he jogged across Takeshi's garden.

"Nah, I do the cooking pal!" Takeshi retorted as he followed Kaito. They began to run down the road. "Kinda funny isn't it?"

"What?"

"We're late on the day that we finally finish school!" Takeshi chuckled; Kaito rolled his eyes as he pressed on.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming" The principle smiled. "Now, it's time to hear from our valedictorian, Miss Kumiko Nakahara!" Everyone clapped as Kumiko rose from her seat. Yumi gave a cheer as Kumiko walked onto the stage. Juni gazed at Kumiko as her eyes met his. Giving a weak smile Kumiko cleared her throat and look forward.

"Esteemed faculty, students, friends and family; I'd like to welcome you all here on this special day" Kumiko began.

"Keshi! Kumi will be giving her speech now!" Kaito roared as he looked at his phone. They were in the shopping district of their town, they received many looks from passerbies yet, they continued on.

"Going into hyper drive captain!" Takeshi laughed as he plodded along behind Kaito.

"I really hate you sometimes!" Kaito cried.

"-And as we move on to the next chapter of our lives, there may be things that scare us or make us all want to turn back but, if we stay true to ourselves and take the risk then we wont regret it because, well, what other way is there to live?" Kumiko smiled. She received another round of applause. She caught her parents out in the crowd, her father wiped a tear from his eye as her mother handed him a handkerchief. "We're all heading down our own path, separate paths" She uttered as she looked to Juni. He gave a slight nod to her. "These paths will make us into the people who we are going to be for the rest of our lives" She stated.

Kaito and Takeshi came to their schools gates; sprinting around to the back of the school they saw the large stage along with the many guests. "Made it!" Takeshi grinned as he pointed to Kumiko on stage.

"Thank god" Kaito said, breathing heavily. They stood off to the side as they listened to the end of Kumiko's speech.

"We're not immortal; life's a gamble but... That's what makes it worth living." Kumiko concluded as the crowd erupted into cheers and applaud. "It's been a great 3 years with you and I wish you all the best" She added over the applause.

"Great speech!" Takeshi bellowed as a few parents stared at him and Kaito.

"Very moving!" Kaito added. Kumiko made her way back to her seat as the students near her congratulated her.

A while later, after several speeches from faculty members had been given out, the principle began to read out the names of the students present, handing them their diplomas as she did. "Junichiro Akimoto" She said into the microphone. Juni took a gulp as he stood from his seat. The audience clapped as Junko and Isao stood up, for a lack of a better word on Isao's part, and made their presence known. As Juni made his way up the stairs of the stage he looked to his parents and smiled. Isao gave a thumbs up to his son. Juni's eyes fell on Kumiko as she also smiled at him with an approving nod. Juni walked towards the principle as she handed him his diploma, shaking her hand he gave a wave as he stood with another faculty member, Click! A photo was taken of him; the same would go for every student.

"Takeshi Fujimoto" The principle uttered. Takeshi quickly slipped to the front as he made his way up the stage. Applause was heard as were a few moans from several students. Takeshi didn't care; he walked across the stage with a large grin on his face. He saw the faces of his friends as well as his mother and brother. Takato gave his brother a thumbs up as Chiaki blew her nose with a tissue. As Takeshi made his way towards the principle she spoke. "I never thought I would say this but congratulations Mr. Fujimoto."

"Thanks but you can call me Takeshi" He grinned as he took the diploma and shook the principles hand. After getting his picture taken he made his way back over to Kaito.

"Nice job buddy" Kaito smiled.

"Thanks man" Takeshi nodded.

A little while later another familiar name was called out. "Yumi Koharu!" Yumi rose from her seat as applause was given. Yumi came to the stairs of the stage, as she climbed them she looked out to the audience. Her eyes met that of Hayashi's, the very girl who disbanded the Drama club. Hayashi scowled at Yumi as she simply held a sly grin. Taking her diploma from the principle Yumi's parents stud and applauded their daughter. Riku and Sayaka wiped away their tears. Off to the side of the audience Takeshi was cheering for Yumi.

"Go Yumi!" He beamed as Kaito sniggered to himself.

"Kumiko Nakahara" The principle smiled. The crowd erupted into cheers for Kumiko once again; she seemed to have made quite the impression. Masaru and Natsumi stood up and clapped.

"That's my daughter!" Masaru roared, Natsumi smiled as several parents stared at Masaru. Kumiko took the diploma from the principle.

"Fantastic speech" The principle said.

"Thank you" Kumiko smiled.

"You'll go far." Kumiko bowed in respect as she went to get her picture taken.

A little while later... "Ushio Okazaki" The principle said. Ushio stood as, yet again, applause was heard. Making her way through the crowd she passed Sato, he gave her a smile as she returned it.

"That's our little Ushio!" Akio yelled from the stands, he was stood up with Sanae, Tomoya and Nagisa.

"Go Ushio!" Nagisa and Sanae beamed. Tomoya wiped a tear from his eye as he watched his daughter climb the stage. It was at times like this that he was so grateful for what he had been given in life, especially when he knew what the alternative had entailed.

"Congratulations" The principle said as she handed over Ushio's diploma.

"Thank you" Ushio smiled. Behind the principle Ushio caught the eye of Kouko who gave a big smile.

"Well done Ushio" Kaito uttered to himself as he watched her on the stage "I know your family will be proud."

The ceremony was nearing its end as the principle had made her way through students in alphabetical order, only a few letters remained. "Kaito Sakumoto" She said. Kaito walked over to the stage as he began to climb the steps. There were several claps for the boy as he made his way up, something which seemed to last a long time for Kaito. He strolled over to the principle as she handed him his diploma. "Congratulations" She smiled. Kaito gave a nod as he thanked her. It was fairly silent as he received his diploma; after all, Kaito had no family present. Yet, something happened which shocked him slightly. A single person stood as they clapped for him. Looking over, Kaito saw it was Ushio. He smiled at her as she smiled back. Then several others stood up. Yumi, Juni, Kumiko all rose from their seats as they clapped him. Takeshi, Riku, Sayaka, Masaru, Natsumi, Chiaki and Takato all stood up for him. Tomoya, Nagisa, Sanae and Akio also joined the others. Junko and yes, even Isao stood for the boy, applauding him. Kaito beamed as he saw all of his friends that were there for him. The rest of the crowd joined in with the applause as well, Kenji and Amaya were among those in the crowd, Senzo, Mayumi and even Sato despite his arm applauded Kaito. Very few people among those that were praising Kaito truly knew of his struggles of late, very few truly knew what he had had to endure. Yet still, Kaito continued to smile as he looked on at his friends. Turning to leave the stage his eyes met those of Mr. Miyagi. Mr. Miyagi nodded as he mouthed three words to Kaito.

"You deserve it."

"Oh! Well done sweetheart!" Nagisa beamed as Ushio and Kaito came over to them. Nagisa embraced her daughter as Tomoya spoke.

"Congratulations Kaito" He smiled.

"Thank you sir" Kaito nodded.

"Yes, well done" Sanae said, smiling as she did with her pretty face.

"Yeah, yah did good kid" Akio winked.

"Of course he did!" Nagisa laughed as she gave Kaito a hug, he blushed as Ushio smiled at him.

"Come here!" Junko yelled as Juni approached his parents. She embraced her son as Isao spoke.

"Well done son" He smiled, Juni hugged his father.

"Thanks dad."

"The gown looks good on you" Isao jested. Juni grinned as he showed his diploma to his parents.

"Well done Yumi!" Riku bellowed as he saw his daughter. Wrapping his arms around her Riku beamed. Sayaka gave Yumi a kiss as she spoke.

"We're so proud of you!"

"Thanks mom" Yumi smiled.

"Kazuki would be proud of you too" Riku said with a weak smile. Yumi thought of her brother as a tear came to her eye.

"I know dad" She nodded.

Takeshi embraced his mother as his brother held a smirk on his face. "Takeshi! Congratulations sweetie!" Chiaki said as she sobbed.

"Thank you" Takeshi smiled as he kissed his mother on her cheek.

"Yeah bro, we never thought you'd get here" Takato grinned. Takeshi shook his head as he placed hid middle finger up to Takato, still with a smile on his face. Looking past his brother Takeshi saw a figure off in the distance. Breaking free from his mother's arms and moving past his brother he spoke.

"I-Is that..." Takeshi said as he went quiet. Takato came up to the side of Takeshi as the figure approached. It was a man, rather tall with blonde hair. It was Takeshi and Takato's father. "What the hell are you doing here?!" Takeshi yelled as he rushed towards the man. Marcus stayed quiet as his son approached. Takato and Chiaki stayed behind Takeshi. "Well?!" Takeshi asked as his face began to turn red.

Kaito and Ushio managed to get a moment alone from Ushio's family as Kouko had come over to congratulate her and catch up with the Furukawa's and Okazaki's. "I'm really proud of you Kaito" Ushio said with her sweet smile.

"Thanks" Kaito replied "I'm proud of you too" He nodded. Ushio's eyes met the floor as she sighed. "What's wrong?" Kaito asked. Looking back up Ushio spoke.

"It's just... Well, I'm going to be leaving for college soon an-" Ushio began before Kaito hushed her. As she went quiet he brushed her hair back behind her ear. Smiling he began to speak in a soft tone.

"We don't have to worry about that right now, we've still got some time left, let's make the most of it" He stated.

"Right" Ushio nodded as she too smiled. She closed her eyes as the two of them shared a kiss, after making sure Ushio's parents weren't watching of course. However, they overlooked one person.

"Enough of that you two!" Akio roared as he grabbed Kaito by his shoulders.

"What the?" Kaito yelled but as his eyes met the glaring yellow stare of Akio's he went quiet. Looking about Kaito spotted someone. "Wait, I need to go speak with Miyagi!" Kaito stated as he slipped out of Akio's grasp. Catching eyes with Ushio, Kaito could see her laughing at him as he strolled away.

"Our daughter, valedictorian!" Masaru smiled as he hugged Kumiko. "This is the proudest moment of my life!"

"Dad are you crying?" Kumiko asked.

"Of course he is!" Natsumi said as she wiped tears away from here eyes. Kumiko laughed as she looked over across the school's courtyard, fixing her eyes on Juni and his family.

"Well?!" Takeshi asked as his face began to turn red. Several students and parents looked on at the boy.

"Look" Marcus began "I, I wanted to see you graduate Take-"

"No! No! You don't get to that!" Takeshi shouted. Takato grabbed Takeshi's shoulder as he spoke.

"Keshi, let's just do this another time okay?" Takato suggested. Takeshi looked to his brother as he studied him for a moment.

"You knew... Didn't you?" Takeshi asked as Takato looked to their father. Takeshi looked for Takato to Marcus and back to Takato. "You set this up?"

"Takeshi..." Chiaki uttered.

"Look Takeshi let's jus-"

"No Takato don't!" Takeshi hissed as he turned and walked away from his brother, his mother and his father. "I don't need this" He muttered.

"Hey" Kaito smiled as he approached Mr. Miyagi.

"Kaito" Mr. Miyagi nodded. "Congratulations on graduating" He smiled.

"Thanks" Kaito replied. Mr. Miyagi went quiet for a moment, he then spoke.

"I'm sure your family would've been proud of you" He stated.

"I hope so" Kaito said with a weak smile.

"Listen; regarding your house, everything is sorted. When a buyer finally comes along the estate agent will handle it. There's not much more I can do for you" He smiled.

"That's fine" Kaito nodded. Mr. Miyagi felt around in his pocket, he then produce a piece of paper.

"Here" He said as he placed his hand out, Kaito took the paper from his former sensei's hand. There was a phone number on it."If you need anything Kaito, don't hesitate to call."

"Thank you sir that means a lot" Kaito smiled.

"I'm proud of you" Mr. Miyagi began "You've come a long way." Kaito let out a chuckle as he nodded.

"I really have, I was in a bad way when I first came here."

"I worried about you... But, I worry no longer" Mr. Miyagi smiled. "You've become a more balanced person in here and in here" Mr. Miyagi stated as he pointed to Kaito's head, and then to his heart. "Despite the low points, you've been a great student."

"I had a great teacher" Kaito smirked.

"Kaito!" Someone yelled from across the courtyard, it was Ushio. "We're all having a photo taken!" She said as Kaito saw all of his friends lined up. Turning back to Mr. Miyagi the man spoke.

"Go on" He said, nodding his head. "Go show the world what you are made of" The man grinned. Kaito smiled as he placed his hand out, Mr. Miyagi shook Kaito's hand as the boy nodded.

"Thanks sensei, for everything" Kaito said. Mr. Miyagi smiled as Kaito turned and headed off to his friends. As he walked across the courtyard, Kaito felt a gentle tap on his shoulder, as he turned around he was met with the pale, pretty face of Mayumi.

"Hey" She smiled.

"Oh, hey" Kaito replied.

"Well done for graduating" She said.

"Why does everyone keep saying that? Is it really so unbelievable?" He smirked. Mayumi let out a slight giggle as she spoke again.

"Look, I know we haven't really spoken since the dance... Well, I just wanted to let you know that I'm happy for you Kaito, I'm glad things worked out for you and Ushio" She smiled.

"Really? Thanks Mayumi" Kaito nodded.

"There's no hard feelings" She added.

"Good... Well, I hope we can be friends" He said.

"Me too" Mayumi nodded as she smiled and turned to walk away.

"Were you speaking with Mayumi?" Ushio asked Kaito arrived.

"She was just saying well done is all" Kaito replied.

"Okay" Ushio smiled as she linked Kaito's arm. The six of them stood there; ready to get their pictures taken.

"I'm surprised you two even got here" Yumi scoffed as she nudged Takeshi and Kaito.

"Yeah" Kaito sighed.

"Us too" Takeshi added as Yumi smiled at him.

"Wait, Takeshi, isn't that your dad?" Kaito asked as he pointed across the courtyard. Marcus was stood with Takato, talking.

"Yep, just forget it" Takeshi replied.

"Are you okay?" Juni asked.

"Fine" Takeshi nodded. His friends smiled at him as he spoke again. "Hey, I've had an idea." He said.

"Yeah what's that?" Yumi asked.

"Why don't we go on one last trip together?" He suggested.

"Where to?" Kumiko asked. Takeshi thought for a moment before he spoke.

"How's about a camping trip?!" He bellowed. The others groaned at him as he put his arm around Juni.

"What d'ya say? You ready for one last adventure Juni?" Takeshi asked. Juni laughed at him, as did the others.

"Okay" Nagisa said as she got out her camera. "Say cheese!"

"Cheese!" The six of them yelled as they all threw their graduation caps into the air and three, two, one... Click! The photo was taken.

_~*Three Weeks Later*~_

"Juni" Kumiko said as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

"I don't understand though" Juni replied as he wiped his eyes.

"Maybe, maybe we're just on different paths... It's not going to work out anymore" She wept. Juni placed his arms on her shoulders as he spoke.

"Kumi, we can work this out... We can still be together."

"I don't think we can" She replied "I'm sorry Juni, you'll always be special to me but we can't keep doing this. It's over." She sighed as she turned and walked down the street. Juni stood there with tears in his eyes. He couldn't believe what had happened, how could he and Kumiko have come to this?

_To be continued..._

**~*44*~**


	45. Turning Point

**~*45*~**

"Juni" Kumiko said as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

"I don't understand though" Juni replied as he wiped his eyes.

"Maybe, maybe we're just on different paths... It's not going to work out anymore" She wept. Juni placed his arms on her shoulders as he spoke.

"Kumi, we can work this out... We can still be together."

"I don't think we can" She replied "I'm sorry Juni, you'll always be special to me but we can't keep doing this. It's over." She sighed as she turned and walked down the street. Juni stood there with tears in his eyes. He couldn't believe what had happened, how could he and Kumiko have come to this?

_~*Two Weeks Earlier*~_

"We're not immortal; life's a gamble but ... That's what makes it worth living." The video said.

"Are you sure it was okay?" Kumiko asked as she and Juni watched the clip of her valedictorian speech on her phone.

"Yes, I've been saying that for the past week Kumi."

"It's been a great 3 years with you and I wish you all the best" The video finished as Kumiko switched it off. She looked to Juni as she spoke.

"I just didn't want to mess it up" She smiled.

"You didn't" Juni said with a chuckle. They were sat in the back of Yumi's father's van. However, Riku was not the one driving, Yumi was.

"Again, congrats on passing" Takeshi said, he was sat in the passenger seat next to Yumi.

"Thanks Takeshi" She smiled. As Kumiko was placing her phone in her pocket her sleeve slipped up and Juni saw something around her wrist.

"Isn't that?"

"Yes" Kumiko smiled, interrupting him. "I managed to get it fixed."

"Get what fixed?" Ushio asked as she turned her head around from the seat in front, she had been sat next to Kaito who, by this point, had fallen asleep.

"The bracelet Juni got me for my birthday" Kumiko replied. She held up her wrist to show her silver, chain link bracelet. A blue gem was also connected to it.

"It's pretty" Ushio remarked.

"It is" Kumiko nodded as she lent to Juni, kissing him on the cheek. Juni blushed slightly as Kumiko smiled.

"How did it break?" Takeshi asked as he also turned around to join the conversation. Juni was about to speak when Yumi cut him off.

"Gaku, remember?" She asked.

"Oh yeah" Takeshi nodded. "Speaking of which remember that punch Juni?"

"Yeah" Juni sighed.

"What a punch!" Takeshi laughed. As Kumiko looked to Juni she could see he was beginning to grow uncomfortable.

"Can we not talk about Gaku please?" She asked. Yumi looked to Takeshi with a slight glare.

"Yeah, sure" Takeshi nodded.

"What do you want to talk about?" Ushio asked as she looked to Kumiko. Kumiko brushed a hand through her light hair as she spoke.

"Do you all really think my speech was okay?" She asked to which all her friends merely groaned. All except Kaito who was still sprawled out in his seat, fast asleep.

Yumi pulled over after driving down a narrow country road. As the six of them stepped out of the van they found themselves surrounded by fields, trees and general countryside. The fields were lush, the trees were tall and, a few hundred metres to the left of them sat a large clear lake. "Pretty nice place, right?" Takeshi asked as his five friends looked over the area.

"You organised to stay at a place like this?" Kaito asked with a smirk.

"You do pull through sometimes Takeshi" Yumi chuckled.

"What's that small building over there?" Kumiko asked as she pointed over across the lake. There was a small wooden building, outside lay several small boats.

"A dock or something" Takeshi shrugged.

"Well there's people fishing on the lake, you must be able to rent boats" Ushio remarked.

"Dude we should do that!" Takeshi said as he gave Kaito a dig on his arm.

"Yeah, that sounds exciting" Kaito sighed.

"You're sure we're allowed to camp here?" Juni asked. "I mean, don't we need permission or something?"

"Nah! It's fine. Public domain right?" Takeshi laughed as he walked over to the van, opening the boot and taking out several bags of camping equipment. Making him was back over to the others he dropped the bags onto the floor. "Right, so where are we gonna set up camp?!"

About an hour later the six of them had finally managed to set up their tents. There were two separate tents, each able to fit three people inside. "Girls in one, guys in the other" Yumi stated.

"Duh" Takeshi muttered.

"Okay, but I'm not sleeping in the middle" Kaito said as he looked to Juni and Takeshi.

"Aw dude, you'll be missing out then" Takeshi grinned. They all stared at him as Takeshi held his grin.

"Should that worry us?" Ushio asked.

"I'm kidding" Takeshi said with a blank face.

"Sure" Juni smiled.

"Pfft! Whatever!" Takeshi bellowed "Come on guys let's go rent a boat!"

"Actually..." Kumiko uttered.

"What?" Takeshi asked, turning around. Kumiko looked to Juni.

"Oh yeah" He began, "Keshi, we're not doing that" He said.

"Why not?"

"We-"

"Me, Ushio, Kumi-Chan and Juni are off on a double date" Kaito mumbled as he folded his arms.

"Well, you don't have to look so happy Kaito" Ushio sighed.

"What?! This is our last trip together!" Takeshi roared.

"There's still tomorrow" Kumiko smiled.

"Where are you going?" Yumi questioned.

"For a walk around the lake" Ushio replied.

"Well what are me and Yumi supposed to do?" Takeshi asked. Ushio linked arms with Kaito as she walked past Takeshi, Kumiko and Juni followed from behind. "Well?"

"Think of something" Ushio said as the four of them walked away along a forest trail. Takeshi looked to Yumi who stared back.

"What are we gonna do?..." He asked. Yumi let out a sigh.

"Come on" She said as she began to walk away from the tents.

"What?"

"Let's go find something to do" She replied as Takeshi smiled and plodded along after her.

The two of them came up to the small wooden shack of a building; they had been walking along the side of the lake for the past 30 minutes. It appeared empty however, on closer inspection Takeshi noticed a sign on the front door. "Open Sundays 9am - 9pm" Takeshi read. "That's weird, why is it only open on Sundays?"

"This whole place is weird" Yumi replied.

"What do you mean?" Takeshi asked.

"Well, look around, it's a lake with only one little wooden shack next to it, a few boats and we're the only people here."

"So?"

"So, it's just weird. Like something you'd see in one of those horror films about kids at camp or something" Yumi sighed.

"W-What the hell Yumi?! Don't say stuff like that!" Takeshi croaked.

"They'll come in the dead of night" She said, mimicking the walk of a zombie, arms stretched out and head to the side. "When it's quiet and no one can hear us. Then they'll strike, leaving no witnesses" Yumi stated. Takeshi let out a little whimper as he began to look from side to side as if he had heard someone nearby. Yumi began to chuckle as Takeshi went red.

"Hahaha!" Takeshi laughed sarcastically.

"Come on" Yumi smiled "Let's go back and get something to eat."

"Pfft, fine" Takeshi sighed as he followed her.

"You're cute when you're scared Takeshi" Yumi said in a sweet voice as she continued strolling along in front of the boy.

Juni, Kumiko, Kaito and Ushio walked along a grassy path through the woods. The scenery was rather beautiful, covered in greenery and brightly coloured flowers. Ushio came to a stop as she opened her one shoulder strap bag and pulled out a blanket. "Does anyone fancy a drink and something to eat?" She asked.

"Sure" Kaito smiled. Laying down the blanket the four of them sat down.

"What do we have?" Juni asked. Fishing through her bag, Ushio brought out several sandwich boxes and drink cartons.

"Chicken, chicken with stuffing, egg and cress, ham salad" She stated with a smile.

"Dibs on the stuffing" Kaito said as he went to swipe the sandwich.

"Kaito!" Ushio scolded. Kaito withdrew his hand.

"What?"

"That's rude" She replied. Letting out a sigh Kaito nodded. "Good" Ushio smiled. "Kumi, which one do you want?"

"Ham salad please" She smiled. Ushio handed her the sandwich. "Juni?"

"Guess I'll take the chicken and stuffing" He said as he looked to Kaito with a slight smirk.

"Yeah, thanks dude" Kaito sighed as Juni gave him a thumbs up.

"Kaito?" Ushio asked as she held two sandwiches out to him. Hesitating for a moment, as if he was readying himself to answer on some kind of test, Kaito spoke.

"Which would you like Ushio?"

"Oh, probably the egg and cress" She smiled. Kaito nodded.

"I suppose I'll have the chicken" He replied as he took the sandwich from Ushio, passing his imagined test with flying colours. The four of them sat there for a while, eating their food and drinking their juice. They enjoyed the slight breeze as they sat out in the countryside, admiring the wildlife that lay before them. Out of the corner of his eye Kaito caught something. A person edging their head towards him, as they came into proper view, Kaito realised it was Ushio. She was urging for him to do something, perhaps say something? Thinking back to earlier in the day Kaito found his answer.

"We need to get the two of them to talk about this whole England thing" Ushio stated.

"Can't we just stay out of it? I get that they're our friends but they can figure this stuff out for themselves" Kaito replied.

"They're not going to though. Kumiko loves Juni but she knows they can't stay together."

"That's the only thing Juni really wants" Kaito sighed.

"Then they need to talk, we have to get them to at some point because, as it stands, I don't think they will until the last minute, then it'll most likely be too late to save any kind of friendship they could have."

"If you say so" Kaito nodded, going along with Ushio's plan.

Coming back to the situation Kaito let out a cough. No one looked his way. "So Kumi" Kaito said uneasily as Kumiko looked his way. "What are your plans when you go to England?" He asked. An eerie silence fell as Juni looked to Kumiko. Kumiko finished chewing the food in her mouth before speaking. Ushio gave a slightly worried look to Kaito before turning her attention back to her friend.

"I'm not entirely sure yet" She responded. "They have accommodation ready for when I decide to go, that's it though, when I decide to go. I'm not sure when that will be. They have these early classes for international students so they can get used to the place and meet other people. They want to make it as easy of a transition as they can" She concluded.

"Are you considering going to those early classes?" Ushio asked, attempting to keep the topic relevant.

"It's possible but then I'd have to leave all of you sooner than expected" She said giving a weak smile.

"Well, It'd probably be a good idea don't you think?" Kaito suggested "It's make everything a lot easier, right Juni?" Looking over to his friend Kaito could see Juni hesitate. Kumiko found her gaze moving towards Juni as he looked to her and smiled.

"Sure" He nodded as he continued to eat his food.

Later that night, as darkness had hit, the six of them were all sat around a small fire near their tent. They were roasting marshmallows on the end of sticks. Ushio and Kaito sat on a blanket, to their left sat Yumi on an old tree stump, next to her sat Takeshi in a fold out chair and to the left of him sat Juni and Kumiko, each in their own fold out chairs. "Mines pretty much melted" Takeshi sighed as he examined the gooey substance on the end of the stick he was holding. Yumi look over and smirked.

"You shouldn't hold it over the fire for so long" She said "Also, you're holding it too low ... here." Yumi moved over as she crouched next to Takeshi. Placing a new marshmallow on the end of a stick she gave it to Takeshi. Then she placed her hand around his wrist and moved his arm up slightly. Takeshi quickly glanced to see her face very close to his. A sweet smell rose from Yumi's neck as it soared towards Takeshi's nose. Yumi caught him out of the corner of her eye. "You see?" She asked with a little cough.

"Yeah ..." Takeshi nodded.

"It won't melt at this height" She stated as her hand slowly slipped off of Takeshi's wrist.

"Thanks" He smiled. Yumi nodded as she made her way back to her 'stump' seat. Kaito and Ushio shared a small smile after watching their two friends. Juni and Kumiko were fairly silent. Kumiko was flicking through a book as she tried to catch the light of the fire. Juni merely poked the ground with the stick he had been using.

"So!" Kaito uttered in an attempt to break the silence. "What can we do?" He asked.

"Dunno, just chill?" Takeshi suggested.

"That's all we ever do" Ushio laughed. Kumiko still looked over her book as Juni maintained his poking motion towards the ground. Yumi thought for a moment, she then spoke.

"Just give me a moment" She said as she got up from her seat. Takeshi, Kaito and Ushio watched her move away from the small camp and over to her father's van. Opening it she shuffles around in the back as she pulled out a large case. She flicked open the clips which held it close as she opened the lid. The others could not see yet Yumi had a large smile on her face as she peered inside the case. A tanned acoustic guitar sat inside. Yumi pulled it out and propped it over her shoulder by the leather strap that was attached to either end. As she returned to her friends around the camp fire they each looked up. Yumi sat back down as Ushio spoke.

"Koharu, I never knew that you played the guitar."

"Yeah" Takeshi added.

"Ever since I was small" Yumi smiled.

"The acoustic guitar is a wonderful instrument" Kumiko stated as she closed her book.

"I agree" Yumi nodded as she positioned the guitar across herself.

"So what are you going to play?" Kaito asked.

"I-It's a song I wrote a few days ago. It's hardly perfect but I wrote it with you all in mind" She smiled. "D'you want to hear it?"

"Of course" Ushio said as the others nodded. Yumi gave a slight nod as she cleared her throat. "I may do a bit of singing to go along with it" She added. Her fingers found their way to the top of the guitar as they strummed across the strings. Carefully placing her fingers in the correct position she did a few more strums. Happy, she began to move her hand up and down as a musical tune was produced. She let out a slight hum as she continued on. It was rather mesmerising for her five friends who looked on as the flames of the camp fire illuminated Yumi playing her song. Her sweet voice was pleasing to the ears. She then simply burst into song, singing and playing from her heart. Takeshi's was fixed on her as a great warmth came over him. He wasn't sure whether it was the warmth of the fire but he had never felt such a thing before. He gave a weak smile as his eyes found their way to the floor. Then with a still expression on his face he looked back up as Yumi continued on playing. Ushio's hand sat snugly in Kaito's they rested their heads upon each other. Kumiko sat up straight with a smile as she listened. Juni resumed his prior action yet the comforting tune played in the back of his mind. A short while later Yumi came to an end as she uttered the last word of her song 'arigato'.

Juni shuffled around in his sleeping bag as he lay in between Takeshi and Kaito. The hour had turned late so the six of them had headed to bed. "Juni man, stop fidgeting" Takeshi moaned as he turned on a torch, lighting up the tent with it.

"What are you doing?" Kaito asked as he stirred from the bright light.

"I need the toilet" Juni mumbled as he made his way towards the tent's entrance, unzipping it. He zipped the entrance back up about halfway before walking outside to do his business. Kaito and Takeshi were left alone.

"Dude, I've been thinking" Takeshi said as Kaito turned to look his way.

"What about?"

"We're gonna be on our own soon ... everyone's leaving." He stated.

"Yeah, I'm aware" Kaito sighed as he rolled over, facing away from Takeshi.

"I was thinking ... maybe we should live together?" Takeshi suggested. Kaito rolled back over to face his friend.

"Live together?"

"Yeah, yanno get an apartment, split the rent 50/50 and that" Takeshi stated. Kaito looked at his friend as he began to wonder. "Just something to think about dude, that's all." Takeshi slipped back down into his sleeping bag as he turned his torch off. Kaito did the same as he starred up towards the ceiling of the tent.

"I'll think about it" He replied as he shut his eyes to fall asleep.

"I don't understand why you need to string him about like that" Kumiko said as she and Ushio were in the middle of a heated discussion. It had all been caused by Yumi asking the two of them about their plans involving Juni and Kaito when they would be leaving for college.

"We've spoken about it Kumi, we're fine with a long distance relationship! Have you and Juni talked about it? No, I didn't think so" Ushio retorted.

"Look, I should have never even said anything" Yumi uttered as she tried to keep peace.

"Well it's all out now Yumi, I guess I know what my friend really thinks of me" Kumiko stated.

"What? What are you talking about Kumi? I've been trying to help you, to give you chances to say something to him and every time you just brush it off" Ushio said.

"Maybe it's better if we don't talk about it, at least there's a chance for us. With you and Kaito he knows that he'll be the one stuck in Hikarizaka while you're away meeting all these new people, meeting other guys."

"What are you trying to say?" Ushio asked, rather confused. Yumi looked to both of her friends; she had never seen them this way with each other.

"It's just a matter of time Ushio ... I'd rather not be with Juni then have our relationship just fall apart" Kumiko stated as she calmed herself. Ushio sighed before she spoke.

"Then maybe that's what you need to tell him. If you do care about him Kumi and you think that your relationship wont survive you two being so far apart then you need to tell him."

"I agree" Yumi added. Kumiko nodded as she wiped her misty eyes.

"I know ... I know I do" Kumiko huffed "It's just so hard" She whimpered as she wiped her eyes. Ushio moved over to her friend as she placed her arms around her. Yumi sat off next to them, still rather upset with herself. "Juni's too good for me..." Kumiko sighed.

"No Kumi" Ushio stated as she brushed her friend's hair over her ear "It's just things haven't been the best, it's not your fault." Outside the tent there stood a figure. Juni had over heard the Ushio and Kumiko's argument. As the situation died down he let out sigh. He sniffed as he made his way back to his tent, ready to escape the problems of his everyday life away in his dreams.

He ran through the fields, running after the other figure across the landscape. He heard their voice in his head, or was it out loud? He didn't know. The boy kept running, on and on, running and running. He passed through the wheat fields, under the sky filled with light, never stopping, always running.

Kaito awoke that morning rather late. It was around noon as he exited the tent. After pulling on a jumper and slipping into his shoes he went outside. Yumi, Kumiko, Ushio and Juni were sat down on a blanket eating some lunch. Juni was keeping rather quiet after what he had witnessed the previous night yet still he saved face with the others. "Morning" Kaito said with a yawn as he approached them. They each said hello to the boy.

"Morning" Ushio smiled as she handed Kaito a sandwich.

"Thanks" Kaito nodded as he took a bite, swallowing it in an instant. Looking over to Juni, who he had noticed to be unusually quiet, he spoke. "Juni mi' Lad! Where's Keshi?" Kaito chuckled.

"Dunno" Juni shrugged as he munched on his food.

"Okay ..." Kaito sighed as the three girls shared a worried look.

"Yo, yo!" A voice came from behind Kaito. Takeshi was walking over to him carrying several long poles and boxes.

"What are those?" Kaito asked as his friend approached.

"These, my friend are fishing rods. Me, you and Juni are off for a man's day out!" Takeshi roared. Kaito looked to Juni.

"Did you approve this?" He asked. Juni shook his head.

"I honestly don't feel like it" Juni replied.

"What's wrong?" Kumiko asked.

"Stomach bug or something" Juni said with a shrug.

"If you say so man" Takeshi sighed. "Guess it's me and you Kaito."

"Sure" Kaito nodded as he took one of the poles from Takeshi.

"What are you guys gonna do?" Takeshi asked as he looked to the girls.

"Go for a walk?" Ushio suggested.

"Most likely" Kumiko nodded.

"We'll be packing up around 2, I want to get off for 3" Yumi stated.

"We'll be back for 2 then to help" Kaito replied.

"No, no. its fine, you two just be back for 3, then we'll leave."

"You sure?" Asked Takeshi.

"Yep" Yumi said with a nod.

"Sweet!" Takeshi smiled as he and Kaito took off on their fishing trip.

After renting out a boat from the small wooden shack, which for some odd reason was home to some rather large, beefy men, Takeshi and Kaito were out on the lake. They had been there for quite some time, and hour or two at least and yet they had still not caught a thing. After a while of peaceful silence Kaito spoke. "This place is strangely quiet, we're the only ones here man."

"I know, it's weird and that thing is only open on Sundays."

"I guess it's just a weekend thing for them" Kaito replied.

"Probably" Takeshi nodded. He let out a sigh and then spoke "So, Yumi's song was something ey?"

"Yeah ..." Kaito nodded as he looked out on the open lake.

"She's got a really nice voice" Takeshi added.

"Yep."

"She's amazing at guitar t-"

"Keshi, when are you going to tell her?" Kaito asked as he looked to his friend with a grin on his face.

"Tell her what?" Takeshi wondered.

"Don't play dumb, you know."

"I-" Takeshi uttered as he let out a sigh. "I'm not; I don't want to tell her then for her to leave and have all that drama ... Besides, I don't know what she thinks anyway so I shouldn't put her on the spot." Kaito went quiet as he nodded.

"That's actually quite sensible man" He smiled.

"Yeah ..." Takeshi mumbled. Suddenly Takeshi's pole began to pull with a great force as he was dragged off of his seat. "Kaito! Shit!" He yelled as he tried to pull back on the fishing rod.

"Hold it man!" Kaito cried as he grabbed Takeshi's shoulders, pulling him back. The two boys were nearly being pulled from the boat as, in that moment, Takeshi planted his foot into the boat which, when combined with the pulling force of the hooked creature, sent his leg straight through the wooden panels of the boat's floor.

"Ahhh!" Takeshi cried as he pulled his foot out of the hole he had made, letting his pole go in the process.

"Crap, crap!" Kaito yelled as the boat began to fill with water.

"What do we do?" Takeshi asked.

"Why? Why is it always something man?!"

"What?" Takeshi questioned as the water met their feet.

"We always fuck something up don't we?" Kaito said.

"I suppose" Takeshi shrugged. Kaito sat back down in the puddle of water, Takeshi joined him, as the two of them waited for help to arrive.

Kaito and Takeshi stood in front of two large men. They were inside the wooden shack, it was rather old and dusty, not a very welcoming place. "Let meh get this straight" One of the men said. "Ya put yer foot through meh boat because ya hooked a fish?" He asked.

"It was probably a pretty big fish" Takeshi quipped.

"You think this is funneh?!" The other man asked, he was the larger one of the two yet they both still towered over Kaito and Takeshi.

"We don't" Kaito replied "We really don't ..."

"There's only one thing fer it. Ya gonna pay the damages" The smaller of the two said.

"How much will that be?" Kaito asked.

"45,960 Yen" The man replied. The two boy's mouths dropped.

"Come again?" Takeshi asked with a shocked expression.

"Ya heard" The man replied. Takeshi and Kaito looked at each other as an eerie silence filled the room. Through his teeth, Takeshi was able to uttered one word.

"Run?" To which Kaito replied.

"Run." The two boys did just that, they dash out of the door and down the banking by the lake. The two large men stampeded after them, one with a shotgun in his hand.

"Get back here ya damn kids!" The larger one roared as they pressed on.

"They're chasing us man!" Takeshi cried as he and Kaito sprinted along the lakeside.

"I know they are just run!" Kaito replied.

Back at the camp the others had just finished packing away all their gear as they waited for Takeshi and Kaito to arrive. "They better hurry or I'm leaving them" Yumi sighed.

"Don't worry Koharu" Ushio smiled "I'm sure they'll be here soon."

A large bang was heard as the larger man fired his gun, the long range didn't help his aim, and neither Kaito nor Takeshi had been hit. "Dude! He's firing at us!" Takeshi cried.

"They're fucking crazy!" Kaito shouted.

"Probably relatives of Gaku!" Takeshi said with an uneasy laugh.

"No time for jokes man!" Katio replied as they continued to run back to the camp.

"Was that gun shot?" Kumiko asked as the four of them were beginning to grow worried.

"I have a bad feeling about this" Juni remarked.

"It'll be fine" Ushio stated "It was probably just some hunters in the wood or something like that, right Yumi?"

"Sure" Yumi nodded, though she wasn't entirely sure.

"Camps close by!" Kaito yelled as he dashed through a bush, Takeshi followed, as did the two men.

"Do you hear that?" Yumi asked as the snapping of twigs was heard. Then out of nowhere Kaito and Takeshi burst through a cluster of trees as they ran to the van.

"What too-"

"Don't talk, drive, now!" Takeshi yelled as the large men made there way through the trees. Spotting the shot gun Yumi spoke.

"In the van now!" She yelled, no one disobeyed as everyone dived into the van, slamming the doors behind them. Yumi turned the key in the ignition, starting the van. As she drove away a shot was fired, taking out one of the back lights. Yet, they had done it, the six of them had gotten away and were flying down the road, away from the lake.

"What the hell was that about?" Ushio cried as Kaito and Takeshi lay on the seats, catching their breath.

"Why were crazy people chasing you?" Juni asked. Just then though, something odd happened. Kaito and Takeshi burst into laughter, uncontrollable laughter.

"What's so funny?" Kumiko asked. However, the two friends paid no heed to the others, they continued to laugh until Kaito was able to speak.

"Keshi" He said through his laughter, his friend looked to him. "I'll do it" He said "I'll live with you!" Kaito beamed as Takeshi nodded.

"You two better pay for my backlight" Yumi said, Kaito and Takeshi looked at each other as the laughing came to a halt. They then proceeded to tell their friend about their little yet totally ridiculous adventure.

_~*Two Weeks Later*~_

"Juni" Kumiko said as she came to a stop next to Juni. They had been waking through the shopping district together, window shopping.

"Yeah?" Juni asked.

"We need to talk" She replied. Juni, letting out a sigh gave a slight nod.

"Okay."

"I'm going to be moving soon" Kumiko began "I don't know what we're going to do, about us."

"We follow our plan, long distance, together. That's the plan ... right?"

"Juni, you're the smartest person I know, you know that isn't going to work, not for us" Kumiko said in a gentle tone.

"We're together Kumi" Juni stated as he placed his hand on her cheek, Kumiko's gaze left him. "That's the way it's supposed to be."

"I've been thinking about it for a long time" She stated as she looked back into his eyes "I've been through the scenario over and over again in my head Juni ... I can't anymore ..."

"You can't what Kumi?" Juni croaked.

"... I'm moving to England Juni!" She yelled, a few people began to look over to the couple but they didn't care, at this point they were in a world of their own.

"I know that, but what does it say about us if we let something like that stop us from being together?!" Juni shouted as he pulled his hand away from her face. "After everything we've been through Kumi ... I don't understand why you won't just try."

"It's not fair Juni, not to you."

"Just explain it to me Kumi ..."

"Juni" Kumiko said as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

"I don't understand though" Juni replied as he wiped his eyes.

"Maybe, maybe we're just on different paths... It's not going to work out anymore" She wept. Juni placed his arms on her shoulders as he spoke.

"Kumi, we can work this out... We can still be together."

"I don't think we can" She replied "I'm sorry Juni, you'll always be special to me but we can't keep doing this. It's over." She sighed as she turned and walked down the street. Juni stood there with tears in his eyes. He couldn't believe what had happened, how could he and Kumiko have come to this?

"Be careful walking home" Ushio smiled as she said goodbye to Kaito. He had spent the day Ushio's grandparents house, Ushio was staying there for the night.

"I will" Kaito nodded with a smile. Kaito lent in towards Ushio and she pursed her lips. As they were about to touch though...

"Wayheeeeeeeey!" Akio roared as he popped up between the two of them.

"Ahhhh!" Kaito screeched ad he flew backwards, landing on the floor. Ushio, used to this type of behaviour, stood her ground as her grandfather stayed next to her. "What the hell?!"

"Aki!" Ushio scolded yet Akio began to chuckle.

"Why do you always do stuff like that?" Kaito asked as he rose up from the floor, rubbing his back.

"Whad'ya mean?" Akio asked in an innocent voice.

"You never announce yourself politely!"

"Announce myself politely? Who the hell do you think I am kid?" Akio laughed, as did Ushio.

"Aki, stop bullying Kaito all the time" Ushio giggled.

"Bullying? Not in a million years!" Akio smiled. He looked to Kaito as he spoke. "We like you kid, really we do but ... don't be such a wimp" He winked. Kaito smirked as he nodded at the man.

"I'll try to keep that in mind" Kaito laughed.

"Right, now piss off and let me spend some time with my granddaughter!" Akio jested.

"Aki!" Ushio scolded. Kaito merely laughed them off as he waved goodbye to the two. As Kaito walked down the road he noticed someone sitting on a bench in the local park. His red hair stood out under a street light - it was Juni. Kaito made his way over as he 'politely' announced himself.

"Hey man" Kaito smiled as he came to stop in front of his friend. Juni raised his head as his green eyes looked up to Kaito. Juni's cheeks were puffy from the constant rubbing away of his tears. "What's up?" He asked.

"Kumiko ... She broke up with me today."

"Shit dude ... I'm sorry" Kaito said as he took a seat next to his friend.

"I don't know what to do Kaito" Juni stated as he looked up. "I'm totally lost without her."

"I-I'm sorry Juni but I don't know what to say" Kaito said.

"Everyone's leaving, Ushio and Yumi will be in different towns, Kumiko will be in England, you and Keshi will be living together. I'm going to be back where I started with not friends ... No one."

"That's not going to happen, Juni" Stated Kaito.

"Everything's going to change now, isn't it?" Juni asked. Kaito looked on at his friend, he would have loved to disagree but, that would be lying. Kaito merely responded with the honest truth.

"Yes" He replied. Juni nodded as Kaito gave a weak smile. "But I promise you, no matter what happens you'll always have me and Keshi. We're always gonna have your back man, you're like a brother to us Juni ... We love you dude" Kaito said with a smile. Juni looked to his friend as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"I hope that stays true" Juni smiled.

"I will."

"Thank you Kaito ... You're a good friend."

"Look, I'm heading back to Keshi's; you wanna come along, stay over and play some video games?" Kaito asked.

"That sounds good" Juni nodded.

"Come on then" Kaito smiled, as he placed an arm around his friend they began to walk away from the park and on to the road, making their way to Takeshi's.

A little while later the two of them came to the rundown area of their town. They made their way through an alley, past a few homeless people who were laid out by large dumpsters. "I really hate this place" Juni stated.

"Yeah, me too man" Kaito replied. As they came around a corner the two of them saw a small group of people, there were only three or so. They recognised one of the boys among the group. A very large boy with jet black hair and an icy stare ... Gaku. One of the boys alerted Gaku to their visitors as he jolted round and locked eyes on Juni.

"What are you guys doing walking through my end?" Gaku asked as he and the other boys approached Kaito and Juni. Juni remained closed to Kaito as he shuddered slightly.

"Honestly Gaku ... Now is really not the time man" Kaito replied.

"Bull shit, you came to me tonight."

"Just leave it!" Kaito yelled.

"No, I said I was gonna end ya Juni ... It's time" Gaku smirked. Kaito and Juni hadn't realised but one of Gaku's friend's had made their way around them, coming up behind Kaito and Juni he pushed Juni hard as he fell forwards towards Gaku. Kaito spun around as he took a swing at the boy. Yet, having neglected those who stood in front Kaito hadn't realised that Gaku had grabbed Juni and now held him against the wall. The rains began to fall heavy as Gaku made several punches against Juni, hitting him in the stomach. Juni winced as Kaito made a move towards Gaku yet, before he could reach his target, Kaito felt a sudden pain at the back of his head and then ... Black.

Kaito awoke to the heavy rain hitting his face. As he stirred he rubbed his head and looked around. The alley was empty. All that remained there was a large metal bar to his right which, he assumed, he had been hit with and, as he turned around he saw it. Towards the end of the alley lay a body, a body in a large pool of blood. Kaito dashed over and, as his fears became a reality, he saw the twitching body of Juni. Kaito knelt down next to Juni as his eyes met a large gash in Juni's stomach, to the left of Juni sat a knife. Kaito removed the jacket he was wearing as he placed it over the wound. Juni winced again. Kaito cradled his friend in his arms as he began to speak. "Juni, J-Juni ..."

"K-Kai ..." Juni uttered as his body shook from shock and cold.

"I'm g-gonna get an ambulance!" Kaito said as tears rolled down his eyes. Flipping his phone out of his pocket and struggling to push the buttons he called the emergency service. "Y-Yes ... Help, please my friends been stabbed!" Kaito yelled down the phone. "An alley" He stated "An alley in the o-old run down district ... Hurry!" Kaito dropped the phone as he cradled Juni in his arms again; applying more pressure to the wound. Juni began to shake again as he began to lose his voice. His eyes began to grow heavy as they slowly began to shut. "J-Juni?" Kaito asked; there was no response. "Juni? S-Stay with me, stay with me, stay with me" Kaito repeated. Still, there was no response. "R-Remember what I said? Me and Keshi ... We're not gonna leave you man, please p-please stay with me!" Kaito yelled. Juni's eyes opened as Kaito nodded. "Yes, yes Juni just p-plea..." In that moment, Juni's body went completely limp in Kaito's arms. His eyes darkened as life left him. Kaito covered in blood and still cradling the cold body of Juni, began to cry. "JUNI!" Kaito roared yet to no avail. Junichiro Akimoto was no more...

**~*45*~**

**_If you are going to put spoilers in your review then please place a spoiler warning at the beginning of your review. It's just common courtesy; if you don't then the review WILL be removed. I hope you understand, thank you._**

**_By the way, the song that Yumi was singing, well at least what I imagined it to be, was in the style of Iwasawa's song from Angel Beats. If you haven't listened to it then I highly recommend you do, it's really beautiful. It also lends itself well to the tone of that scene. Link - watch?v=kL2vlUlpytQ_**

**_Oh, and happy birthday hernobleness - I hope you enjoyed the chapter, for the most part._**


	46. On The Run

**~*46*~**

The large boy ran through the dark alley way as he came to a stop by a wall. Placing his hand on it, he slowly slid down to the wet ground. The rain still continued to fall heavy as the boy came to his knees, placing his hands on his face and letting out a cry. As he pulled his hands back he noticed the dark blood that covered them. He began to cry again as a loud siren was heard from down the street. Hopping to his feet Gaku continued down the alley way, running away, out of sight.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway as Kaito sat in the empty waiting room. He hadn't spoken a word since his arrival at the hospital where his best friend had been brought after a fatal stabbing. A woman emerged from down the corridor as she approached Kaito. "Kaito? Are you okay?" She asked as she knelt down besides him. It was Ryou Hiiragi, her bright blue eyes shone as she looked on at Kaito. Kaito did not reply, he simply stared off into space as he remained in his seat. A man exited a room off to the left as he made his way over to Kaito.

"Jakku" Ryou said as the man approached. "What happened?"

"This kid" The man stated, looking up, Kaito realised it was one of the paramedics who had brought his friend, Juni, into the hospital. "This kid, Junichiro, was stabbed." Ryou looked down to Kaito and then her gaze turned back to the man.

"How is he?" She asked. The man shook his head as he spoke.

"He was gone before we brought him in" He said in a sympathetic tone, "loss of blood." Ryou had a tear come to her eye, yet, her professionalism took over.

"Have his parents been contacted?" She asked.

"No" The man replied "We don't know who they are" He stated as he looked to Kaito. "He hasn't spoken a word since he came in, except when he told us his friend's name but that was it."

"Kaito" Ryou said as she knelt down again, setting herself at eye level with the sitting boy. "Kaito, you need to tell us their names, Junichiro's parents Kaito, and they need to know. We need something, an address, a number ... anything" She stated. Kaito's dead eyes met her as he let out a sigh, he managed to mumble the home phone number of the Akimotos as he then returned to silence.

Takeshi stirred in his bed. It was around 3 in the morning as he awoke. Rolling over, he grabbed his phone as he pressed the unlock button. As the light from the phone illuminated his face, Takeshi's eyes widened. He had 32 missed calls from Kaito along with multiple texts. As Takeshi read the contents of one of the texts he shot up from his bed. Grabbing his shoes he didn't even bother to change out of his pyjamas. He made for his bedroom door, down the stairs, through the front door and out into the night.

The rain continued on as a soaked Takeshi approached the hospital's entrance, still keeping up a sprint. Entering the hospital Takeshi ran to the front desk. "Junichiro Akimoto, where is he?!" He shouted.

"Are you a relative?" The receptionist asked.

"W-Wh- Yeah, b-brother" Takeshi lied, not wanting to waste any more time.

"Room 16 B" The receptionist replied. Without speaking Takeshi jetted down a hallway, reading the directional signs as he did.

"Kaito!" Takeshi yelled as he came down a hallway. Kaito was sitting on the floor, his back against a wall. Weeping sounds could be heard coming from down the hall. "Kaito ..." Takeshi repeated as he knelt down next his friend. Kaito looked up to Takeshi as he remained in his silent state. "Where's Juni? Where is he?" He asked in a croaky voice. Kaito pointed down the hallway, the direction in which cries could be heard from. Takeshi pulled his friend up, barely supporting him as the two of them made their way down the hallway. As the two of them came around the corner they found themselves in the waiting room that Kaito had previously been sat in. In one of the seats, there sat Junko, Isao was knelt beside her, both of them were sobbing. Ryou and Jakku were stood off to the side of them. Takeshi approached as he spoke. "What the hell happened?!" He yelled. The four adults looked up at the boy. Isao's eyes were fiery, full of anger. Spotting Kaito he moved forwards.

"You!" He shouted "I told you to go! This is all down to you!" He yelled. Takeshi looked to Kaito but Kaito held no expression. "Say something!" Isao shouted yet still Kaito remained quiet. Letting out a cry Isao darted forwards; taking a swing at Kaito. Takeshi caught Isao's arm as he spoke.

"Don't fucking touch him!" Takeshi yelled as Jakku approached in an attempt to restrain Isao. Isao pushed Jakku away as he fell to his knees.

"My son! My son is dead!" He cried as he placed his head on the ground, sobbing. Junko moved over to him as she cradled her husband in her arms, both continued to cry. Takeshi was frozen with shock. At this point he didn't know of Juni's fate, Kaito's texts were simply orders for Takeshi to come to the hospital, for Juni was there. Ryou approached the two boys.

"You two need to leave for a while" She stated in a calm voice. Takeshi gave a slow nod as Ryou escorted them down the hallway, the faint cries of Isao and Junko could still be heard throughout the hospital.

Takeshi and Kaito sat in another small seating area; it was a floor below the one they were previously at. Ryou had left to attend to Isao and Junko as Takeshi spoke. "K-Kaito" He said in a croaky voice. "You ... you have to t-tell me what happened." Kaito looked to his friend, taking a very deep breath, as if he had been deprived of air, Kaito spoke softly, without emotion.

"Gaku ... he found him. H-he took a knife ... stabbed him" He stated. Tears came to the corners of Takeshi's eyes. "Juni ... died in my arms man." Takeshi exhaled as his tears dropped down onto his cheeks. Then he began to cry, tears rolled down his face and onto his pyjamas as he whimpered, rubbing his eyes in the process. Kaito's eyes were dry and rather red. He looked to his friend who was attempting to pull himself together.

"O-okay ... okay ... okay" Takeshi repeated as he softly rocked backwards and forwards in his seat. Bringing his closed fists up to his mouth he breathed into them, as if he was trying to warm himself up. Coming to his feet Takeshi spoke. "Kaito ... we _have_ to tell Kumiko."

"No" Kaito replied in a sharp tone.

"What?" Takeshi asked as he looked over, eyes now as red as Kaito's.

"S-she broke up with him man!" Kaito yelled "She doesn't care!" Takeshi let out a sigh at the news. Tears emerged in his eyes again.

"Kaito ... she deserves to know" Takeshi replied. Kaito looked up to the bright lights that lit the hospital's dim hallways. He then slowly nodded at his friend.

Kumiko's phone rang loud as she lay down on the floor next to Ushio. She had spent the night there after her talk with Juni. Waking to the ringing, she picked up her phone. "H ... hello?" She said with a yawn. By this point Ushio had also woke up.

"K-Kumiko?" A croaky voice on the other end asked.

"Takeshi?" Kumiko replied "What's wrong?" Then Takeshi proceeded to tell Kumiko of the situation. Ushio watched as her friend's expression turned completely white. The phone slowly slipped out of her hand and onto the floor.

"Kumi?" Ushio asked but there was no response. Ushio took the phone and held it to her ear. "Takeshi?"

"Ushio ... You need to come to the hospital ... now" Her friend said.

"What's happened?" Ushio asked urgently.

"J-Juni ... he was stabbed."

"I-is he okay?" She asked.

"U-Ushio ... h-he's ... he's dead" Takeshi wept. Ushio began to shake ever so slightly yet, she looked on at Kumiko who was still petrified, completely stiff from the shock.

"W-we'll be there soon" Ushio replied as she hung the up the phone.

Ushio, Kumiko, Tomoya and Yumi rushed through the corridors of the hospital. Tomoya had given the three of them a lift there, picking Yumi up along the way. They, the same as Takeshi, had had no time to change clothes. Coming around a corner the four of them saw Takeshi and Kaito sat in a waiting room along with Ryou. Isao and Junko had gone into the room where Juni was being kept, mourning him at his side, so, Ryou had brought the two boys back outside the room. "Ryou!" Tomoya said as they approached, the woman stood up from her seat as she, in a bittersweet moment, greeted her friend.

"Tomoya" She said with a weak smile, her eyes found themselves to the right of him as they landed on the three girls. "I'm so sorry" She uttered. Kumiko looked to the door of Juni's room, she moved forwards, bursting inside.

"Kumi, wait!" Ushio yelled as the girl entered.

"It's fine" Ryou stated. When Kumiko opened the door, the others outside caught a glimpse of the red headed boy that lay on a bed ... his lifeless body was cold and pale. Ushio covered her eyes as Yumi put her arms around her. Tomoya ran a hand through his hair as Takeshi approached his two friends, supporting Ushio along with Yumi. Kaito remained in his seat, continuing to stare off into space, alone with his thoughts.

As Kumiko entered the room the door shut slowly behind her. Isao and Junko looked up to her as tears fell from Kumiko's eyes. Looking over the limp body of Juni she fell to her knees. Junko rose from her seat as she ran over to Kumiko, placing her arms around her she rocked her back and forth. Kumiko burst into tears, laughter from disbelief and rage. She couldn't control her self as she tried to reach for the bed, pulling herself up to Juni's level. Still, Junko kept her hold on the girl as Kumiko broke down, embracing Juni's mother, they both began to cry again. Isao still sat next to his son, his boy, holding onto his hand, his little Juni.

A while later, Takeshi, Ushio, Yumi, Tomoya and Kaito still sat outside in the waiting room. Ryou rushed over around the corner as two men approached. Tomoya noticed this and, looking at the men, he could see that they held some sort of authority. He saw Ryou nodded as she pointed, past Tomoya, to Kaito. The men walked over to him, one was rather large with grey hair and a beard of stubble. The other was smaller, thinner with black hair, clean shaven. The larger one spoke in a gruff tone as they came up to Kaito. "Mr. Sakumoto?" He asked. Kaito looked up. "I'm detective Fukuda this is detective Kawano" He said, introducing the two of them. Tomoya, Takeshi, Ushio and Yumi all looked over. "We'd like to ask you some questions."

"Hold on" Tomoya said as he made his way over, the two detectives turned to him. "What's this about? Kaito hasn't done a thing."

"We just need to ask him about the incident that took place sir. As the only witness, well, we need a statement."

"His friend just died" Tomoya said in a hush tone "Can't this wait?"

"Sir, we're sorry bu-"

"No" Kaito uttered as the detective stopped talking. Kaito looked to Tomoya as he spoke. "It's fine" He stated. The detective nodded and asked Kaito to follow him to another room. Kaito agreed as he followed. Tomoya looked on, rather concerned about Kaito. He then turned to Ushio and her friends. They were sat together; supporting each other ... Tomoya joined them.

"Then I got hit ... I woke up and they had all gone" Kaito stated as he sat in a cold hospital room, speaking with the detectives.

"And that's when you saw your friend on the floor?"

"Y-yeah ... covered in blood ... there was a knife. I put pressure on his wound ... but ... I-" Kaito took a deep breath as the detective began to speak.

"You said there were about five boys there, yes?"

"Yeah, I only know one of them though. I'm certain it was Gaku that did it to Juni."

"Why is that?" One of the men asked.

"He came up to him in school, threatened him, said ... said he would 'end him' ... that's why."

"Okay, that's about it then?"

"Yeah" Kaito nodded.

"Alright, well with the description of the boy that you gave us, we should be able to begin a search party for him." Kaito nodded at the man's words. "You're free to leave" The man smiled. Kaito nodded again as he got to his feet and made for the door. "Oh, what was his full name again?" The detective asked. Kaito looked to the man. Kaito's eyes were full of anger and hate as he spoke.

"Gaku" He stated "Gaku Space." Kaito then turned away and exited, leaving the two detectives alone in the room.

**~*46*~**


	47. Remembrance

**~*47*~**

As the boy looked through the window he was met with darkness on the other side. Yet, despite this he felt that the other side held some clue ... an answer. There was also the question, which side of the window was he on? He didn't know whether to feel trapped or free ... he merely stood there, looking through not knowing, never knowing.

April 30th, 2024.

It's Tuesday today. It's been 10 days since Juni passed. I'm not sure whether it's gotten easier or harder. Kumiko is a mess, I'm trying to support her as much as I can but ... I really do miss Juni as well. This just all brings back memories of my brother but I can't be selfish now ... can I? ... No.

As I said, I'm trying to support her - I think she feels guilty for breaking up with him - Takeshi is a great help as well but I know he's heart broken. He tries to save face but still, I wish he would just open up to me, I could to him. Ushio tries her hardest to stay strong for Kumiko but with Kaito's behaviour lately I know she's also worried about him, not even to mention her feelings about Juni.

We haven't heard from Kaito in days, Takeshi says he stays in his room all day, Ushio has sent a few texts but he barely replies. I can't imagine what he's going through, he witnessed it and I really do feel for him.

Juni's funeral is in a few days, at least we'll get to say goodbye.

They still haven't caught him ... I don't even want to write his name; it makes me so angry knowing he's still out there, free to do as he pleases. I hope he rots for this.

- Yumi

"You need to leave" The man said as he threw a bag full of Gaku's things towards the boy. Gaku had been staying with an acquaintance of his, needing a place to stay, while he was in hiding from the police.

"What ... why?" Gaku asked as he shot up from his sleeping bag that lay on the messy floor of the man's living room. His chin was covered in rough stubble, he had been without a shower in days and his hair had become rather greasy.

"I can't keep hiding you Gaku, not with what you've done."

"I told ya, it wasn't my fault" Gaku replied in his deep voice.

"I know what you told me ... I've told you now that you need to go" The man said. Gaku slowly rose up from the floor as he picked up his bag.

"Guess I'll get out of ya way then" Gaku stated. The man nodded as Gaku slipped into his shoes and made for the door. As he opened it and stepped out into the cold night air the man spoke.

"Gaku" He said as the boy came to a stop. "I'm sorry." Gaku did not reply, he continued walking away from the house, yet again he was alone, something he had been used to for a while.

It was a dull day as family and friends gathered in the cemetery. "It is with great sadness that I stand in front of you today" a man said as he stood next to the large headstone that read 'Junichiro Akimoto 16/03/2006 - 20/04/2024: A beloved son & cherished friend.' As the man continued to speak a teary eyed Yumi lent over to Takeshi.

"Where is he?" She asked. They were stood a little to the side of the grave. Ushio and Kumiko stood next to them along with Masaru and Natsumi stood off to the side.

"He said he'd meet us here" Takeshi replied in a hushed tone. Yumi let out a sigh as she wiped her eyes. Across from the two of them, at the other side of the grave, stood Isao and Junko, hand in hand, dressed all in black.

"So, I believe Isao has a few words to say" The man said as he looked to Juni's father. Isao nodded as he let out of Junko's hand and brought out a small sheet of paper from his pocket. Everyone's attention fell to Isao. He cleared his throat in preparation before he spoke.

"I ... I was never the father I was supposed to be to my son" He began. "I often found it difficult to ..." Isao came to a stop as he wiped his eyes. Letting out a sigh he held out his sheet of paper and proceeded to tear it up. Isao looked around at the faces of those present. "This isn't about me" He stated. "I've had my chances to make up for my mistakes ... My son shall never get that chance." Kumiko turned to her father as she buried her face into his arms, letting out a silent cry. Masaru embraced her as he held her tight, muttering to her that things would be okay. Ushio watched her friend cry in her father's arms. She remembered what her grandmother, Sanae, had always told her. 'There are only two places where it's truly okay to cry, in the toilet and in your daddy's arms'. Letting out a sigh she returned her attention to Isao who was continuing his speech. "He was a brave, intelligent and kind boy my son ... my Juni" He stated "We should all remember him as such."

A while later, Kumiko had gone home with her parents from the funeral but her friends stayed there, sat around a table in the small venue that Isao and Junko had hired out. There was a buffet there along with the majority of the guest, drinking and discussing Juni's life. Ushio, Takeshi and Yumi sat around a table as they merely nudged their food, none of them really had any form of an appetite. Takeshi took his glass of juice as he held it up. "To Juni" he muttered. Yumi and Ushio nodded as they copied his actions.

"To Juni" Yumi echoed.

"Our friend Juni" Ushio said with a weak smile. They each took a sip as they placed their glasses down. Yumi sighed as she began to speak.

"I can't believe he didn't show up" She stated.

"Koharu ... can we not talk about it please? Not here" Ushio replied.

"I get what he's going through but we're all suffering here Ushio, not just him."

"Yumi" Takeshi began as the two girls looked to him. "Kaito was in a state after it happened; I'd never seen him like that before. I agree it's not right that he didn't show up today but Ushio has a point. This isn't the place to talk about it."

"You're right" Yumi said with a nod. "I'm sorry" she stated as she looked to Ushio.

"It's okay" Ushio croaked as she gave a smile. Takeshi finished off his drink as he stood up. "I think I'm gonna get going now" He sighed. As he was about to turn away Ushio grabbed his wrist.

"Takeshi" She said as he turned back around. "We should all leave together and we should say goodbye to Juni's parents, manners" She stated. Takeshi looked to Yumi who gave him a nod.

"Okay" He replied.

Isao and Junko stood with a few other guests; Junko smiled slightly as the three friends approached. "We're heading off now" Ushio said. Junko nodded.

"Thank you for coming ... it really means a lot" She replied.

"Of course" Yumi said with a slight smile.

"Tell your friend" Isao began as he looked to Takeshi. "Tell your friend I'm sorry for acting out against him" He stated.

"I will" Takeshi nodded. With that, the three friends bid their farewells and headed home.

Tomoya and Ushio pulled up outside of the Furukawa bakery. He had picked her up after Juni's funeral. As they exited the vehicle Ushio noticed a figure across at the local park. It was a boy with dark hair; Kaito. He was stood on the basketball court, bouncing a ball and attempting to shoot it up into the basket. "Ushio?" Tomoya asked as he noticed his daughter moving towards the park.

"I'll be back in a bit" She replied. Tomoya watched her walk away yet, he didn't move, he simply watched.

Kaito threw the ball as rebounded off the rim of the basket, flying back towards him. As he caught it he heard something behind him. "Kaito" A voice said. Kaito didn't look back; he continued to bounce the ball on the ground as he aimed up for another shot. "Kaito" Ushio repeated, Kaito knew it was her for her sweet voice was familiar. "Why didn't you come today?" She asked. Kaito took another shot yet the same thing happened, he failed to score again. Ushio began to grow impatient as she spoke again. "Don't ignore me Kaito, you never do so don't start now" She stated. Kaito dropped the ball on the ground as he turned around. He still didn't speak yet he acknowledged the girl's presence. "Where the hell were you?" Ushio asked in a shaky voice. Kaito took a breath before he spoke.

"Here" He replied.

"All day?" Ushio wondered. Kaito nodded in reply. "Why?"

"I couldn't ... I couldn't face him" Kaito stated.

"Who?"

"His dad ... Isao" Kaito said as he shook his head. "After what I did ... I ... I-"

"You didn't _do_ anything Kaito" Ushio said, in an attempt reassuring him of his innocence.

"E-exactly! That's exactly it Ushio ... I didn't do anything!" Kaito yelled.

"Kaito..."

"Don't you get it?!" Kaito asked as he stepped forward, Ushio kept her distance from him. "I let my friend die! He's gone because I didn't do anything! I wasn't fast enough, I should've known something wasn't right but I did nothing! I can't live with myself Ushio!"

"K-Kaito" Ushio said as she moved closer, yet she kept at a slow pace. "L-let me help you, come inside and we'll talk okay?" She suggested.

"You can't help me Ushio" Kaito mumbled. Ushio stood still as she stared at him. Kaito's eyes met hers as he spoke. "What?! What do you want?!" He yelled. "I don't need your help and I don't want it! Just leave me alone! Please!" He roared. Tears fell from Ushio's face as she backed away and turned to head to the bakery. As Ushio rushed off Kaito turned and threw the ball at the basket, rebounding off again Ushio could hear Kaito's shouts. "Fuck!" He yelled as he caught the ball and threw it away from himself. Ushio came up the driveway as Tomoya approached her.

"Ushio? What happened?" He asked, his daughter brushed him off as she moved past him.

"N-nothing I just want to go inside" She stated as she entered the bakery, sliding the front door shut behind her. Tomoya looked over to the park as he saw a frustrated Kaito kicking the ground. Letting out a sigh he made his way over.

Kaito stood there, staring at the gravel he had disturb with his foot. His head pricked up as he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around he was met with the figure of the blue haired man. "Kaito" Tomoya said as he approched. "Are you okay?" He asked. Kaito said nothing, he merely looked to the ground again. "Look" Tomoya began as Kaito looked back up. "I understand what you're going through, losing someone close to you ... but, despite that, I don't want you to upset my daughter like that again."

"I-"

"Do I make myself clear?" Tomoya asked in a rather assertive tone. Kaito breathed heavily for a moment, he then nodded slightly at Tomoya's words. "Good" Tomoya said. He came closer to Kaito as he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "All I'll say is, if you feel like crying you shouldn't hold back your tears." Kaito stared at the man as he continued. "You should let it all out while you still can ... because when you get bigger ... sometimes ... sometimes you can't cry even if you have something to cry about. Trust me on that" Tomoya said with a weak smile. Kaito studied Tomoya, he didn't know why but hearing Tomoya say these words had calmed him slightly, just slightly. Tomoya nodded as he turned to walk away. "You're welcome inside if you want to come in" Tomoya said as he came to a stop. Turning to face Kaito he smiled "I'm sure Nagisa, Sanae and the old man will be happy to see you." Tomoya continued heading back to the bakery as Kaito stood there, looking on, not knowing whether to stay or follow.

"You don't have to eat anything sweetie" Natsumi said as Kumiko stared at her plate full of rice. The girl didn't respond. Masaru let out a cough as he spoke.

"I still haven't managed to get the car working" He sated. "Guess I'll have to take it to a mechanic ... it most likely isn't a fault in the electrics."

"As Juni said" Kumiko mumbled.

"Right" Masaru replied witha slight nod.

"How about some juice Kumiko?" Natsumi suggested yet Kumiko declined.

"He would be here with us now ... if it wasn't for me" Kumiko sighed as she her misty eyes.

"Kumi-" Masaru began but he was cut off.

"If I hadn't of broken up with him, he'd have never of been out that, he wouldn't of ..."

"Okay, Kumiko this has got to stop!" Natsumi yelled. Masaru looked to his wife, surprised by the out burst. Kumiko stared at her mother with near dead eyes. "You have to stop with this whole guilt thing okay? It's not healthy ... it wasn't your fault."

"If I hadn't o-"

"Junichiro's death wasn't down to you" Her mother stated. Kumiko went quiet as tears began to fall from her mother's eyes. Masaru moved over to his wife as he embraced her, holding her in his arms as she wept.

"Maybe" Kumiko began as her parents looked to her. Bento hopped up onto the table as Kumiko looked to her pet. Studying the over weight cat she gave a nod, as if agreeing with something inside her head. "Maybe it would be a good idea for me to go to England early ... make a fresh start" she sighed. Masaru nodded at Kumiko's words.

"I think that's a good idea kiddo" He said with a weak smile. Kumiko nodded as she began to eat her plate full of rice.

Takeshi sat up on his bed as he read through some manga. The stories had never interested him, he simply enjoyed the over the top style of art work on every page. As he flicked through the book he heard a knock on his door. "Come in" he said. As the door opened, Takeshi noticed a head of violet hair as Yumi walked through.

"Hey" She said with a smile. "Your mom let me in, I hope that's okay?" She asked.

"Course" Takeshi nodded as he moved over, making room for Yumi on the bed. Closing the door behind her she sat down next to the boy as they stayed quiet.

"Takeshi?" Yumi asked.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?" Yumi uttered. Takeshi let out sigh as he spoke.

"I don't really know what that means anymore" He replied.

"Right" Yumi nodded as she twirled a strand of her long hair. Takeshi hesitated for a moment, then, he spoke.

"Are _you_ okay?" He questioned as Yumi looked at him.

"I try to be ... or atleast, as okay as I can be" she said with a weak smile.

"I know what you mean" Takeshi nodded. He looked down as Yumi placed her palm on top of his hand. Takeshi's eyes landed on their hands as Yumi spoke.

"I'm always her for you Takeshi" She sighed. Takeshi looked up as his watery eyes met Yumi's.

"I-I don't know what to do" He said with a shrill voice.

"I know" Yumi replied as her eyes too began to tear up.

"I don't even know how to talk about him" Takeshi sobbed. Yumi shot forwards a she embraced Takeshi, placing her arms around him she whispered in his ear.

"Then let's not talk ... let's just stay like this ... at least for a while" She said. Takeshi slowly placed his arms around Yumi as he nodded.

"Okay..." He said. The two of them stayed there, embraced in each others arms. They held on to each other tightly as they let the world around them dissapear, leaving only the two of them, together.

**~*47*~**

_Bittersweet ... I wish all my readers a very happy Christmas._


	48. Fortune & Farewell

**~*48*~**

Kumiko knelt in front of the cold headstone of Junichiro Akimoto. Placing a bouquet of flowers on top of it she gave a sniff. "Juni" She began "I'm so sorry." Looking at the grave, as if expecting some kind of reply, Kumiko hesitated. Brushing her bob of brown hair behind one of her ears she gave a weak smile. "I just wish ... I wish you could be here with me ... going there with me" She wiped her eyes by the cuff of her sleeve. "I still love you ... I want you to know that. You'll always be special to me" She said with a smile. "No matter ... no matter who I meet in the life I have left ... you will always be special to me, I ... I'll always hold you in my heart." Kumiko stood up and backed away slowly. "Goodbye Juni" She smiled with teary eyes. The girl then turned and walked away from the grave, leaving Junichiro behind her.

"You're sure about this?" Ushio asked as she, Takeshi, Yumi and Kumiko stood at the side of a taxi. Masaru and Natsumi stood a few metres away from the four of them.

"Yes" Kumiko nodded. "I think this is for the best." Yumi came up towards Kumiko as she placed her arms around her.

"Have fun over there" Yumi smiled.

"I'll try" Kumiko nodded as she hugged her friend.

"A fresh start" Yumi stated.

"A fresh start" echoed Kumiko. Yumi released her friend as Kumiko turned to Takeshi. Gesturing him to come towards her they embraced as Yumi and Kumiko had. "Take care of Kaito when we're all gone" Kumiko whispered.

"I will" Takeshi replied. As the two of them moved away Kumiko spoke.

"There's no chance of him showing up to say goodbye, is there?"

"No" Takeshi said, shaking his head. Kumiko gave a nod as Ushio approached. The two gave a tight embrace, holding each other for a while as the others looked on.

"I'm really going to miss you" Ushio whispered.

"I'll miss you too" Kumiko croaked. As they separated, the two of them still grasped each others hands.

"You'll be back for Christmas right?" Ushio asked. Kumiko gave a smile as she spoke.

"I ... I'm not sure" Kumiko sighed. "I don't know if I want to come back Ushio."

"I see" Ushio uttered as she fought her tears. Kumiko smiled as she gave a nod to her parents. The two of them came over.

"We'll see you kids later" Masaru smiled as he moved to put Kumiko's bags in the taxi, getting in the front seat to speak with the driver.

"Take care, all of you" Natsumi smiled. Then she and Kumiko entered the back of the car. Rolling down the window Kumiko smiled at her friends. As the engine started, the car began to move. Kumiko gave a wave as the three others waved back. The taxi drove down the road and around a corner, taking itself and Kumiko out of sight.

_~*A few days later*~_

"Remember the Towers and Trolls game?" Takeshi asked as he and Yumi sat in his room, reminiscing on past events.

"You mean Dungeons and Dragons?" She asked.

"Same thing" Takeshi chuckled. Yumi smiled as she nodded.

"Yeah ... I do" Letting out a sigh she spoke again, "Juni was really kind for doing that, for Kenji and the rest."

"Yeah, he was" Takeshi agreed. Just then Takeshi and Yumi heard footsteps from outside the room. Looking out of the open doorway they saw Kaito slowly walking past. "Hey man" Takeshi said as Kaito came into view. Coming to a stop Kaito looked to the two of them.

"Hey guys" He said in a quiet tone.

"You okay?" Yumi asked. Kaito gave a nod; he was holding a small box in his hands. Noticing this, Yumi spoke. "What's in the box?"

"Oh ... just a few things from my old house" Kaito replied. Clearing his throat he spoke again. "Someone finally bought it" Kaito stated.

"That's great man" Takeshi smiled. Kaito nodded.

"Yeah ... turns out a overlooked a few of my gran's things when I moved out. So, they put them all in a box and gave to me."

"So what's in there?" Yumi asked, curious as she was.

"I haven't looked" Kaito replied.

"You gonna?" Takeshi wondered as he studied his friend.

"No" Kaito said, shaking hid head. "I'm just gonna put it away."

"Fair enough" Yumi nodded.

"So ... how much did you get for the house in the end?" Takeshi asked.

"3,000,000 Yen or so" Kaito sighed.

"I see" Takeshi nodded.

"Yeah ... I guess Miyagi's calculations were a bit off when working out how much I'd have left. The mortgage payments didn't exactly help ... It was a pretty small place to begin with."

"It's better than nothing" Yumi said as she smiled.

"Yeah" Kaito nodded in agreement.

"You're all sorted for moving in together then?" Takeshi asked, attempting to form a convincing grin.

"Most likely" Kaito nodded "that'd be nice to be honest ... after everything that's happened."

"Yeah" Takeshi agreed. Kaito let out a sigh as he spoke.

"Well, I'll see you guys in a bit. I need to go sort out a few things with the bank and that so..."

"Yeah sure man" Takeshi nodded.

"See you later Kaito" Yumi smiled. Kaito gave a nod as he turned away and walked away. "He seems a bit better" acknowledged Yumi.

"Yeah ... he'll be fine" Takeshi stated.

"Good" Yumi replied, the two of them returned to their previous discussion, remembering their dear friend Juni.

Gaku searched through a nearby dumpster as he picked out a half eaten apple. Without a seconds thought he began to chew on it, feeding his rumbling stomach. His hair was a mess, his stubbly beard had begun to grow quite long, his face was filthy, his clothes torn and a strong smell constantly lingered on him. Finishing his meal he tossed the nearly decomposed apple core aside. Letting out a cough, he sat down next to the dumpster and began to rub his arms in an attempt to warm himself. He thought back to the past few weeks, the events of which had been awfully grim. He rubbed his heavy eyes which were dark from lack of sleep. Hearing footsteps coming towards him he looked up. There stood a man, in clothes similar to Gaku's, his hair was also similar along with his filthy complexion and dark eyes. "You're in my spot kid" The older man jested.

"Sorry" Gaku muttered.

"Nah its fine" The man chuckled as he sat down next to Gaku. "I could do with the company ... get's rather lonely out here by your self."

"Right" Gaku sighed as he rubbed his arms again.

"Paper" the man said.

"Wha?" Gaku uttered as he looked to the man that sat beside him, rather dumbfounded.

"Paper, put it inside your clothes ... another layer warms you up."

"I'll keep it in mind" Gaku nodded. Letting out a sigh the man brought out a mouldy pack of cigarettes as he lit one with an old lighter.

"Smoke kid?"

"Sure" Gaku replied, taking one of the cigarettes from the man as he lit it. Blowing out a ring of smoke the man looked up to the starry sky which crept through the top of the alleyway.

"So" He began "what'cha out here for?" Gaku didn't reply he just blew out a cloud of smoke as he stared out the ground. "Come on, I'm not one to judge ... We've all got baggage."

"Ma mom kicked me out ... then my friend did tha same thing."

"What did you do?"

"Sommert bad" Gaku sighed. The man studied the boy for a moment, hesitant, he spoke.

"What was it?" The man asked. Gaku looked to the man, unsure as the whether or not he would tell the truth. After all, this man did not know him, Gaku could just lie; take a smoke and all would be said and done. However, Gaku did not do this.

"I ... I killed this kid I knew" Gaku muttered. The man went quiet as he followed through with a nod. Gaku, noticing his immediate acceptance, spoke again. "I didn't mean to ... I picked on him in school but ... I never meant to kill'im."

"So you're on the run?" The man asked.

"Yeah" Gaku nodded. "I made a mistake" He stated as his eyes began to tear up. The man nodded before he spoke.

"Sometime's we have to face our mistakes ... I made plenty of them. I once thought that I could run, that I didn't have to face them but ... from that I lost everything I had" the man stated. "I was a nasty piece of work and now, here I am. Living the dream right kid?" He chuckled as he took another puff of his cigarette. Gaku studied the man as he too took another puff. As he blew it out of his mouth he wiped his watery eyes. "I've got a tin of beans if you want to share?" The man asked. Gaku looked to him as he gave a grateful nod. "Good stuff" The man smiled as he took out a tin and proceeded to cut it open with a knife, ready to share it with the mess of a boy he had just met.

Takeshi stood in the kitchen next to his mother as they were preparing a meal together. "You see" Takeshi said as he sprinkled something over a pile of rice he had in a frying pan. "This was, the butter and seasonings mix while the rice continues to cook, gives you a rather sweet flavour" He stated.

"What a great tip" Chiaki smiled as she copied her son's actions.

"Smells great" a voice said from behind them. As they turned around they saw Kaito making his way into the kitchen.

"Good morning Kaito" Chiaki smiled as she saw him.

"Morning" Kaito replied, nodding in respect.

"Hey man, you get everything sorted with the bank?" Takeshi asked. Kaito nodded as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a wallet as he moved over to Chiaki.

"Here" he said as he pulled out several notes. "This should cover my rent for the last few months" he stated. Chiaki looked in Kaito's hand as she saw the money. Takeshi began to speak.

"Dude, you don-"

"I do" He said.

"Kaito, honestly, you're our guest" Chiaki smiled "You don't have to give me anything."

"I said I would do when I came here ... I know you told me no but I feel like I must."

"Kaito..."

"You two have put up with me for a while now ... it's the least I can do to thank you both" Kaito said in a serious tone. Chiaki looked to Takeshi as he shrugged at her. "Please" Kaito added. Chiaki smiled as she took the money.

"Thank you Kaito" She said with a nod "That's very kind of you."

"I truly am grateful to you both" Kaito said as he looked at the two of them. "Without you, I wouldn't have a place to live ... with everything that's happened recently ... well, it's been nice to be somewhere that I have some kind of family." Chiaki stretched out her arms as she placed them around Kaito.

"You're always welcome here" She said as she let go of him.

"Yeah man" Takeshi said "we're here for you."

"Thank you" Kaito smiled.

"Now, let's eat" Chiaki remarked as the three of them began to lay the table.

A while later, the three of them were sat around the table eating their dinner as the front door to the house opened. In walked Takato as he made his way through to the kitchen. He greeted the three who sat at the table. "Kaito, how're you doing?" The blonde boy asked.

"Better Takato, thanks" Kaito nodded.

"Good" Takato replied. Looking over to Takeshi he spoke "Time to go."

"Go, where?" Chiaki asked. Takeshi and Takato looked at each other as Takato gestured towards his brother. Letting out a sigh Takeshi spoke.

"We're going to see Marcus ... we're going to see dad."

**~*48*~**

_Two chapters left and, I promise you, the next two chapters are great. We'll explore a lot more of Takeshi's family, Kaito and Ushio's relationship, Gaku's problems and we'll see a few faces for, perhaps, the last time. _

_We're nearly at the end of Ushio's Story ... well, the first part anyway. Stay tuned!_


	49. Lost & Found

**~*49*~**

Takeshi and Takato made their way over to Takato's motorcycle. Placing their helmets on over their heads Takato spoke. "Mom sure didn't look happy."

"What d'you expect?" Takeshi asked "The guy was abusive."

"That was only one time Keshi, he wasn't himself then."

"Yeah well, it's one more time than it should have been" Takeshi replied. Takato studied his brother as Takeshi looked back at him.

"I'm not denying that" Takato sighed.

"Look, I get that you've been seeing him for a while now, you wanna defend him but I'm telling you now bro, it's not gonna happen" Takeshi stated.

"What isn't?"

"This is the only time I'm doing this; I'm not having any kind of relationship with the guy."

"Suit yourself" Takato muttered as he climbed onto his bike. Takeshi got on behind as he put his hands on his brother's shoulders. "You ready?" Takato asked.

"Ready" nodded Takeshi and with that, Takato revved his bike as they set off to go and meet their father.

Kaito and Ushio sat down on her laid out futon. Her parents had gone out for dinner so the two of them had the house to themselves. Ushio's head was laid upon Kaito's head as she spoke. "It'll be this Sunday, the 19th" She stated.

"That soon?" Kaito questioned.

"Yeah ... I need to get down there, get moved in, get settled, meet my room mates and all of that" She sighed.

"Right" Kaito nodded, he saw Ushio's face turn to a frown. In an attempt to lift her spirits, he spoke. "Taking art though, that's got to be fun, right?"

"I am excited for that" Ushio smiled as she looked up towards Kaito. "I'm just going to miss this place Kaito ... I'm going to miss you." Kaito gave a weak smile as he nodded in agreement. "I don't feel like I leave you here, alone, after everything that has happened."

"Ushio" Kaito sighed. Ushio went quiet. "You can't starting doubting yourself ... I'll be fine ... I just need time." Ushio nodded at him.

"At least we'll always be together, right?" She asked. Kaito hesitated for a moment, then he smiled.

"Of course" He nodded, Ushio smiled as she closed her eyes. Kaito stared down at Ushio, who lay on his chest. He watched her breathing peacefully, as if he was attempting to remember such a moment. Taking a deep breath, Ushio spoke.

"Kaito?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?" She wondered.

"Sure" Kaito replied. Ushio cleared her throat before she spoke. Sitting up, Kaito could see she was beginning to blush.

"You don't have to answer me if you don't want to..." She said. Kaito raised an eyebrow.

"Okay..."

"I was wondering ... h-have you ... have you ever had s- ... se-"

"Sex?" Kaito asked in a dry tone.

"Y-yeah ... I was wondering ... have you ever done that with someone?" Ushio asked as her face went rather red. Kaito let out a sigh.

"No" He said as he shook his head.

"Oh ... okay" Ushio replied with a smile.

"Have you?" Kaito questioned.

"No, of course not" Ushio uttered as Kaito studied her. The two of them sat there for a few seconds, lingering in silence.

"I could have done" Kaito stated, Ushio looked up as her eyes met his.

"What happened?" Asked Ushio. Kaito brushed a hand through his dark locks.

"Are you sure you want to know?" He asked in a cautious manner. Ushio went quiet for a moment, thinking over the possible outcomes of the answer she could give. She settled on one.

"I do" She nodded.

"Well ... a few months before I met you ... Keshi, his brother and I went to this party. It was a friend of Takato's; Keshi's brother an-"

"Did Juni not go?" Ushio questioned as Kaito went quiet. "I-I'm sorry Kaito ... I didn't mean t-"

"No ... no, it's fine" Kaito sighed. He gave a smile as he spoke. "He didn't want to."

"Right" Ushio nodded.

"So yeah ... we went to this party, it was somewhere out of town so me and Keshi didn't know anyone. People were drinking and things kind of got out of hand." Kaito hesitated for a second, thinking things over, he then continued. "There was this room; a girl went in with a few guys. I-It sounds horrible but they were ... they were kind of taking turns with her."

"Oh..." Ushio uttered.

"Yeah" Kaito nodded with a sigh. "They tried to ... the guys, the tried to get me to do it."

"Kaito..."

"I didn't" He stated. "I dunno ... I just felt sorry for her I guess. She was this really pretty girl and ... they just took advantage of her."

"That sounds awful" Ushio sighed.

"It was ... Takato saw what was happening ... we left with him then."

"That's okay then" Ushio smiled.

"Yeah but ... Takeshi lost his virginity that night" Kaito sighed.

"He did?"

"Yeah ... he doesn't like talking about it though. To be honest I don't blame him, it wasn't a good experience for anyone ... that night."

"I see" Ushio remarked as she looked at Kaito, still knelt down next him. Taking Kaito's hand in hers she spoke. "Kaito ... I've been thinking a lot about us lately" She said. Kaito looked down at their hands as Ushio continued. "I've decided that ... if I'm going to have a first time with anyone then ... then I want it to be you."

"Ushio..."

"I've decided Kaito ... it's what I want" She said with a smile as she brought Kaito's hand to her mouth and kissed it. Kaito felt conflicted, he didn't know what to do. Attempting to put his thoughts into context he began to speak.

"Ushio ... isn't this enough?" He asked. Ushio frowned at his words.

"Don't you want to be with me?" She asked.

"Of course I do ... I really do" Kaito sighed.

"Then what?" Ushio asked in her sweet voice. Kaito stared at her pretty face.

"It's just ... I love you, I really do love you Ushio but ... I don't think I'm ready for that" Kaito sighed. "I know that with everything that's happened it seems like we need to do these things ... that we don't seem to have any time anymore but ..."

"I'm moving away Kaito ... I just want to be close with you."

"I know" Kaito said as he pulled Ushio towards him gently, resting her on his chest as her held her. Ushio rested her head on his shoulder. "I just feel so ... fragile at the moment ... like I could snap." Ushio's head popped up as she looked into Kaito's eyes with a worried gaze. "I just don't feel ready" Kaito stated. Ushio gave a nod as the two of them hared a soft kiss, holding each other in their arms.

Forty minutes or so after departing from home, Takeshi and Takato pulled up outside a small house. "I never expected him to have a house" Takeshi stated as he took his helmet off, looking on at the small building. "When I met him, he was a bum."

"A drifter" Takato replied, correcting his brother.

"Same thing" Takeshi smirked. "Why does he live so far outside of town anyway?" Takeshi wondered.

"It was cheaper ... he's come a fair way Keshi, he's working."

"As?"

"Look, let's go inside and you can talk to him, ask him whatever ... he just wanted to see you" Takato stated. Takeshi nodded at his brother as the two approached the front door. Outside there wasn't much to the house. The garden was non-existence with only a few concrete slabs to serve as land. The house looked to be one storied, very small and very simple. '_Reminds me of Kaito's old house'_ Takeshi thought to himself. Knocking on the door, the two of them waited there yet, no one answered. Takato knocked again yet still there was no reply.

"Let's just go in" Takeshi sighed as he tried the door handle. The door clicked as Takeshi pushed the door, slowly opening it.

"Dad?" Takato called as he and Takeshi stood inside the house. They were in the front room; it reflected the outside of the house, rather bare with a few chairs and a small table. An old sofa sat at the far end of the room. "Dad?" Takato called again, this time aiming his voice towards the stairs which lay to the right of them. Footsteps were heard above as someone came to the top of the stairs.

"Takato" a voice said. As the person came down the stairs his blonde hair and blue eyes came into view, it was their father, Marcus. "Sorry" he said as he stopped next to his son. "I was just finishing the tidying."

"It's fine" Takato nodded.

"Is he here?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah he-" Takato began yet; as he turned around he saw that Takeshi had disappeared. "He was here..."

"Guess he's still getting over it all" Marcus sighed.

"His friend died dad ... he's just a little sensitive right now is all."

"Even so ... he was like this before" Marcus replied.

"I kno-" Takato started yet he stopped as he looked behind Marcus and saw Takeshi coming out of the kitchen. "There he is" Takato sighed. Marcus turned around as his eyes fell on Takeshi.

"Hello Takeshi" Marcus said with a dry voice. Takeshi didn't reply, he merely spoke in a general manner.

"I was just looking around ... small but I guess it's better than the street." He stated.

"Keshi" Takato said as he scowled yet Marcus chuckled to himself.

"It definitely is." Takeshi gave a slight nod as they three of them stood there in the nearly empty room. Yet, this place appeared full of issues, just waiting to reveal themselves.

Takeshi and Takato sat at the table as Marcus stood in the kitchen, preparing a few drinks. Takeshi began to speak over the clattering of glasses. "If he does anything ... I'm gone" Takeshi said in a hushed tone.

"Like what?" Takato questioned.

"I dunno ... something I don't like."

"Sure" Takato replied in a sarcastic manner. Marcus came out of the kitchen. He cupped three glasses in his hands as he placed them on the table. "Thanks dad" Takato smiled.

"No problem" Marcus nodded as he pulled out the chair next to Takato, taking a seat.

"What is it?" Takeshi asked.

"Just juice" Marcus replied.

"All you could afford?" Takeshi asked as he saw a judgemental Takato out of the corner o his eye, staring at him.

"All I really drink" Marcus replied.

"Yeah dad's been sober for ... how long now?"

"About a year" Marcus stated.

"About a year" Takato echoed as he looked to Takeshi who merely nodded.

"So, how's your mother?" Marcus asked as Takeshi slowly looked over with a distasteful look on his face.

"What?" Takeshi uttered.

"H-how's your mother, is she well?"

"Don't ask me about her" Takeshi replied.

"Sorry..." Marcus said with an understanding nod.

"Keshi, stop it" Takato sighed. "She's good dad" He said as he smiled at the man. Takeshi looked on at his brother.

"How can you be like that?" He asked. Marcus and Takato looked to him.

"Like what?" His brother questioned.

"How can you sympathise with this guy?" Takeshi asked as he pointed to Marcus, Marcus' gaze found it's way to the floor. "You know what he did right? Hell, you know better than me what he was lik-"

"That's right Keshi" Takato began. "I _do_ know better than you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Forget it ... let's just drop it" Takato stated as Marcus looked back at his two sons.

"No, tell me what you meant!"

"Drop it!" Takato yelled.

"I think we all need to calm dow-" Marcus began but his voice became lost over the noise.

"Takato! Just tell m-"

"I'm in rehab Keshi!" Takato yelled as everyone went quiet. Takeshi sat there for a moment, attempting to process what he has just heard.

"Wh-what did you say?"

"...I'm in rehab" Takato sighed "I have been for a while."

"Why?" Takeshi asked, completely stunned.

"I-it started in my second year of college. I beginning to feel a lot of pressure with my work ... I just started smoking a bit of weed every now and again to take the edge off..." Takato looked to his father as Marcus nodded.

"It's best Takeshi knows everything" Marcus stated as Takeshi looked to him. Takato began to speak again.

"It escalated ... really quickly. I constantly smoked it, I popped Es every day like you would do with pills ... there was a death at my college, this guy I knew, he overdosed. After that I knew I had to stop so my room mate helped me, he got me to where I needed to be. I started with rehab and then things started to get back on track. There were a few slips but I managed to keep my college work at the bare minimum it needed to be so ... I somewhat graduated." Takeshi was still focused on his brother, not knowing what to say. "Keshi, I know what it's like not to be able to control yourself, to be scared and unsure of things ... I know how it was for dad."

"You don't have to do that Takato ... there's no excuse for me."

"It's true" Takato argued "Keshi, you have no idea how bad it can get ... I was lucky with how well I came out of it."

"I ... I ... Is that why you've been coming here?" Takeshi asked; he turned to Marcus. "Have you been helping him?"

"We've helped each other" Marcus nodded.

"Dad gave me advice Keshi" Takato stated.

"And your brother helped me get a job, at home."

"It wasn't easy to find him after you told him to leave Keshi ... but I managed."

"Thank you" Takeshi uttered as he looked to Marcus. "Thanks for helping my brother..."

"We wanna help you too Keshi" Takato said.

"With what?"

"You know what ... loss is a hard thing to deal with Keshi." Takeshi nodded slowly at his brother's words.

"Takeshi" Marcus began as Takeshi looked over to him. "I know you hate me right now bu-"

"I ... I don't hate you" Takeshi sighed. "I just ... I hate that you left, you tried with Takato but you left when mom had me ... it always felt like it was because of me and I couldn't forgive you for that."

"Takeshi, don't say that. It wasn't down to you; it was because of my own selfish and idiotic reasons." Takeshi nodded as tears came to his eyes. "I told you before that I was proud of you ... because you didn't turn out a thing like me, weak and selfish ... but I want to change that, change how I am ... if you'll let me."

"Keshi, let's put the past behind us ... all of us, we need family right?" Takato suggested with a smile. Takeshi wiped his eyes as he spoke.

"Takato told you about my friend didn't he?"

"He did ... yes" Marcus nodded.

"If ... if we try this ... if we try to have a relationship ... y-you can't let me down" Takeshi stated.

"I won't" Marcus said, shaking his head.

"I don't want to lose anyone else" Takeshi sighed.

"You won't" Marcus smiled. Takeshi nodded as cleared his throat.

"Okay..." Takeshi uttered "I guess, the three of us could go for a drink sometime ... for a coffee or something since you don't drink?"

"I can go to bars" Marcus chuckled.

"Okay" Takeshi nodded "That's good then" He said with a weak smile. Marcus smiled back as Takato looked to his father and to his brother ... his family.

"I'm happy for you" Kaito smiled as Takeshi finished informing him of the day's events.

"Thanks" Takeshi said, smiling back.

"Does your mom know about Takato though?"

"No ... he doesn't want to tell her until he's ready ... that's for him to decide."

"I see" Katio nodded. "You've changed Keshi."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you're not the same person as you was, the day we m-"

"The day we met Juni?" Takeshi questioned.

"Yeah, that day" Kaito nodded.

"With everything that's happened, I feel like I should be more accepting of things. If that means giving my dad a chance then that's what I need to do, yanno?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean" Kaito smiled.

Gaku stood with his newly acquainted friend on a small bench that sat by a local shop. It was a quiet place, he felt perfectly safe there. The two of them sat there in silence as they let the wind blow on them, feeling the cool breeze Gaku smiled. "Are you sure you want to do this?" The man asked.

"Yeah" Gaku nodded "I think it's the right thing ta' do."

"Right" the man nodded. Gaku looked to his side as he put his hand out to the man. The man shook it as he smiled. "Good luck kid."

"You too" Gaku replied as he released the man's hand and stood up. Taking a few steps forwards he turned to face his friend. "Take care of ya' self."

"Always do" The man smirked. Gaku nodded as he once again turned and began walking away. It would take him a while to get there, to his destination; to the police station.

Takeshi lay back on his bed as he studied his friend who sat across the room. Kaito's eyes lingered, looking off across the room.

"You okay?" Takeshi asked. Kaito looked to his friend as he took a sigh.

"I've just been doing some thinking lately."

"About what?"

"Well, not to bore you but ... it's about me and Ushio" Kaito stated.

"I think I know Kaito" Takeshi replied.

"You do?" Kaito asked, Takeshi gave a nod to his friend. "I see. I've been thinking about it since, well, the day of funeral. I know it was awful of me not to go bu-"

"I've said it before; you don't have to explain yourself Kaito."

"Thanks Keshi ... still, since that day and my whole thing with Ushio well ... I can't do it to her. I can't let her go with all this baggage. She needs a fresh start out there, a chance to meet new people, make a new life for herself."

"I get that man" Takeshi nodded.

"If I'm a part of that new life, then I'll just hold her back. I can't do that to her. I can't be the reason she's unhappy."

"I don't think she's ever been unhappy with you though" Takeshi remarked. Kaito looked to his friend as he sighed.

"It's only a matter of time" Kaito mumbled.

"Do you what think is right man. I think it's worth remembering though that everyone, no matter who they are, has some kind of baggage." Kaito nodded at his friends words.

"I have to do it" Kaito stated as he took a deep breath. "... I have to break up with her."

**~*49*~**


	50. What The Future Holds

**~*50*~**

"So, Koharu" Ushio uttered as she, Yumi, Takeshi and Kaito sat around a table in a local café. They were spending their last day together and had stopped for something to eat. "Are you excited to be studying drama when you start college?"

"I suppose" Yumi remarked as she twirled her drink around in its glass, using her straw.

"You don't sound it" Takeshi chuckled as he took a bite of his burger. Kaito sat in between Takeshi and Ushio, poking at his meal, barely enthused.

"Well, I don't know if I'm good enough to be taking it."

"They accepted you on the course though, and you've been to auditions before" Ushio stated.

"O- y-h!" Takeshi mumbled through a mouthful of burger. "I forgot about those you know" he added after swallowing.

"Yeah" Yumi sighed, "nothing ever came of those though. I mean, I got a few call backs sure but ... it's a silly dream really."

"Don't say that" Kaito said, entering the conversation. Yumi eyes met his.

"I couldn't even keep the drama club together" She replied, sighing yet again.

"That's not your fault though" Kaito said.

"Yeah, it was down to those stupid council creeps" Takeshi added. Kaito looked to his friend.

"Council creeps?" he questioned. "That's a new one."

"Jus thought of it now" Takeshi smirked.

"Still Koharu, you were fantastic in our little play. You really stole the show" Ushio praised with a beaming smile on her face.

"Thanks" Yumi replied, smiling back.

"And, your parents loved it as well" Takeshi noted.

"I suppose" Yumi nodded. "Anyway, let's talk about something else."

"I can't believe you're going tomorrow" uttered Takeshi.

"Not that" Yumi said, rolling her eyes.

"We are going to miss you though" Kaito admitted.

"Yeah, whose gonna push us around and keep us in check when you're gone?" Takeshi questioned.

"I think I've taught you well" Yumi laughed. Takeshi nodded at her words.

"The students have become the masters" Takeshi jested. Ushio laughed at him, as did Yumi. Just then, Kaito's phone gave a loud buzz. Taking it out of his pocket he stood up, seeing the caller ID he spoke.

"I'm gonna take this outside" he stated as he moved away from the table and made his way out of the door.

"Who do you suppose it was?" Yumi asked. Takeshi shrugged as Ushio looked out of the cafe's window with a worried expression on her face.

A few minutes later the cafe door opened as Kaito slowly walked in, slumping back into his chair. The others looked at him and the blank expression on his face. His quiet manner was new to them but something seemed off. "Kaito, are you okay?" Ushio asked. Kaito looked up as his friends stared.

"Yeah" Kaito nodded.

"Who was on the phone?" wondered Yumi. Kaito cleared his throat before he spoke.

"That was detective Fukuda ... t-they ... they've got Gaku" Kaito said as he breathed rather heavily.

"W-what?" Takeshi uttered.

"He went into the police station, gave himself in" Kaito replied. The other went silent as Kaito took a sip of his drink, quenching his dry throat.

"Did they say anything else?" Ushio asked. Kaito nodded as he spoke.

"He said that we, well, we could go to see him, if we wanted to. He said that there won't be a trial since he admitted to it but they'll be a court session or something where he'll have to make a plea ... he still said he was going to plead guilty." Again, the others went quiet, each with a look of confusion on their faces. After a moment of silence Yumi spoke.

"Don't get me wrong" she began, "I'm happy he's in custody but ... it just doesn't make sense."

"Yeah ... why the hell would Gaku turn himself in? He was in hiding for a while" added Takeshi.

"It doesn't matter now" Ushio replied.

"It doesn't" Kaito agreed, "What we need to decide is, are we going to go see him."

"What does he mean by see him?" Takeshi questioned. "Does he expect us to have a friendly chat or something?" he scoffed.

"He must want us to get closure" Ushio stated, "He most likely knows how this kind of thing can affect people, especially at our age."

"I'm going to go" Yumi said in a dry tone.

"Me too" Takeshi nodded. Ushio looked to Kaito as she saw his once again unenthused, lifeless stare. Turning back to her friends, she gave them a nod.

"I'll come too" she said. They all turned to Kaito who let out a sigh.

"No" he uttered. Takeshi began to speak.

"Kaito, we should do thi-"

"No" Kaito interrupted, "I said no." With that, his mind was made up.

Later that day Takeshi, Ushio and Yumi had all gone to the police station. Gaku was sat at a table in a small room. He wore a dark jumpsuit and held a blank expression on his face. On the outside of the room one of the detectives was speaking with the three friends. "He's barely said a word since we brought him in. I wouldn't worry about him doing anything to provoke you." The man stated. "A few of us we'll be right outside, supervising, so if anything happens you wont be in any danger."

"Right" Takeshi nodded.

"Take as long as you need" the man stated.

"Thank you" Ushio replied. The man unlocked the door and held it open, allowing the three of them inside. As they entered the cold room they saw Gaku, sitting down, eyes glaring down towards the table. They noticed his hands were bound by handcuffs which were attached to the table. The door creaked behind them as it shut. They each took a seat on the opposite side of the table. No one spoke for a short while; no one truly knew what to say. Yet with her headstrong nature, Yumi spoke.

"You're a coward, do you know that?" Gaku didn't reply, he didn't even move, not in the slightest.

"How could you do it?" Ushio asked in her soft voice, which, at this moment in time had become rather shrill. Again, Gaku did not react. "I hope you know how many lives you've destroyed by doing this, the ... the people you've hurt."

"Answer us..." Takeshi uttered. Gaku, as before, did not respond. "Answer us..." Takeshi repeated, again, the same cold stare towards the table was all that Gaku could offer.

"You deserve to rot for what you've done" Yumi stated, "You deserve exactly what you have given out, to feel this pain for the rest of your life."

"Pain?" Gaku echoed. His deep voice sent a chill down Yumi's spine. Takeshi locked eyes with the boy as Ushio gave heavy breaths. "Ya think ya know pain?" Gaku asked. "You've got no idea wha' it's like to live with pain ... to grow up terrified of those who are suppose' to be closes' to you."

"Don't even try it" Takeshi said as he glared at the large boy. "You'll never be able to justify this you sick ... you sick ..."

"I know what a'v done" Gaku hissed "A' don't need some bitch coming in here, tellin' me of the lives I've destroyed, the people I've hurt. Then there's this stuck up snob who wouldn't know pain if it was rite' in front of her!" Gaku yelled as he edged his head towards Yumi, the only thing restricting his movement were the cuffs that bound him to the table.

"Don't you dare speak to them like that" Takeshi stated as he began to grow red.

"Ya know though, don't ya Takeshi? Ya know what it's like to have no one d'ere to take care of ya."

"I'm nothing like you" Takeshi uttered.

"You were jus' like me once, then you stepped in against Orochi, saved you're friend and now you're a hero."

"Shut up" Takeshi muttered.

"Ya saved him din't ya? Akimo- Juni."

"Don't even say his name!" Yumi yelled. Outside, the detective and a few police men were stood by the door, ready to intercept.

"I can say it all I like ... in those few minutes that I took the kid's life ... I unda' stood him more than any of ya." That was the final straw for Takeshi. As anger took over him he lunged across the table and began to forcefully bring his fists down upon Gaku. What followed were several cries from Ushio and Yumi. As the authorities burst into the room, taking a hold of Takeshi, they placed handcuffs tightly around his wrists. As they escorted him out, Yumi and Ushio followed closely behind.

The three of them sat down in detective Fukuda's office. No one had said a word since they were escorted out of the room where was Gaku was being held. The door opened slowly as Fukuda came in carrying three cups of tea. Placing them down, he took a seat in a large leather chair, opposite the three friends, across a large wooden desk. "Sorry about the cuffs" the man said. Takeshi nodded slowly. "My partner said one of us should've stayed in there with you. I was wrong."

"Takeshi's not in trouble is he?" Yumi asked.

"No not at all. I've taken responsibility for it it all, I'll take a bit of heat but that's it."

"Then, when can we leave?" Ushio wondered.

"When your father comes to collect you" he replied, nodding towards Ushio.

"You called him?" She asked.

"Yes, he's on his way."

"I am sorry for lashing out like that" Takeshi sighed, "I don't really know what came over me."

"No, as I said I was wrong ... the way I approached this way wrong" Fukuda stated. "I thought that if you saw him there, in custody, going to pay for his crime then it would help you."

"I do feel better though" admitted Takeshi.

"Yes, I'm glad to know he's going to be put away" Ushio added. Fukuda nodded at their words.

"I still don't understand why he handed himself in" Yumi muttered.

"Sometimes guilt can take over a person, even those we least expect" the man sighed. A knock came on the door as a lady walked in.

"Sir, a Mr. Okazaki is here."

"Right" Fukuda nodded. Looking to the three that sat in front of them, he spoke. "It's about time you were heading off." The three nodded as they each stood up and began to walk away. "Don't forget your teas" Fukuda said. They turned and grabbed the plastic cups. Nodding at the man in gratitude, they then turned and exited the room, ready for home.

"I just lost it ... I don't know why. It honestly felt like I could have killed him." Takeshi admitted as he and Kaito were sat on his bed, discussing the situation at hand.

"That's why I didn't go Keshi" Kaito replied, his friend looked over. "I wouldn't be able to handle seeing his face again. I would ... I _would_ have killed him." Takeshi studied Kaito for a moment as his friend let out a sigh. "There's nothing I can do but just let it all go. I don't want to resolve things or face people. I can't handle it anymore."

"Yeah" Takeshi nodded, agreeing with his friend. "I know Kaito."

The next day Ushio, Kaito and Takeshi were stood with Yumi on a train platform. Yumi had several large bags with her, she was ready for college. "Where are your parents?" Kaito asked as the four of them stood there, waiting for Yumi's train.

"They're bringing the rest of my stuff down by car" Yumi replied.

"You can't fit all your crap in your dad's van?" Takeshi questioned.

"The van broke down the other day, it's completely wrecked" Yumi laughed.

"That's sad" Ushio uttered.

"It's only a van" Yumi smiled.

"I know, but we had some fun memories in that van, well one or two anyway" stated Ushio.

"That's true, like getting chased by those hunters when we went camping, and when we delivered the cake for Ushio's mom's birthday ... we met Youhei, Tomoyo and Kenta then" Takeshi chuckled.

"I don't really remember the first one being that fun" Kaito sighed. Yumi shook her head as she spoke.

"Anyway, as I was saying, it's wrecked so we're using this really rubbish hire car, it's really small so there's not a lot of room for my things and me."

"I see" Takeshi nodded. Just then a voice came over the intercom as a woman announced that the the next train would be arriving in two minutes.

"That's mine, guess I should get my bags ready" Yumi stated. The three others looked at her. "I'll do my goodbyes now" she uttered. Looking to Kaito she smiled. "Kaito" she said, gesturing for him to come towards her, he did and she placed her arms around him, hugging him. Moving apart she smiled again. "Don't do anything stupid when I'm gone, I'd like to think I taught you a thing or two" she chuckled.

"I'll try not to" Kaito nodded as he gave a smile. Looking to Ushio, the hazel eyed girl stepped forwards as the two embraced each other.

"Take care of yourself, Koharu" Ushio said in a muffled tone.

"You too, and stop calling me Koharu" Yumi laughed as they separated, teary eyed.

"Maybe one day" Ushio giggled. Yumi nodded at her. Looking to Takeshi, Yumi saw the boy looked to the floor as he gave it a light tap with his foot. "We'll give you two some space" Ushio said as she gestured for Kaito to move away with her. The two went a little off to the left as Yumi and Takeshi stayed where they were.

"Guess this is it" Takeshi muttered as he looked to Yumi, keeping the image of her violet hair blue eyes and pretty face in his mind.

"I guess so" Yumi nodded, giving a weak smile.

"Thank you Yumi" Takeshi mumbled.

"What for?"

"For tolerating my crap all this time" Takeshi grinned. Yumi giggled at his words.

"It's been fun being your friend Takeshi" she smiled.

"Yeah" Takeshi agreed. Yumi moved closer towards him as she spoke in a hushed tone.

"I wish things could have been different between us, I ... I-"

"Me too" Takeshi nodded as Yumi smiled. Nudging toward his face she gave a soft kiss on his cheek. Takeshi closed his eyes, attempting to hide his sadness. Pulling away Yumi wiped her eyes.

"Right" She said as she heard the racketing of train carriages approaching. Kaito and Ushio came to the side of Takeshi as the train pulled in, the doors then opened. "I'm really gonna miss you guys" Yumi stated. They all nodded as Yumi returned it. Turning, she picked up her bags a moved over to the open doors of the train. Stepping on and inside she found her seat. It was next to the window and through it she could she her friends. They stood there, staring at each other for what felt like a very long time. Soon, a whistle blew and the train started up, the wheels began to roll and through the window Kaito, Ushio and Takeshi could she Yumi waving, wiping her eyes, waving again. With that, Yumi Koharu left Hikarizaka, her family, her friends and Takeshi ... at least for a little while.

"Are you going to Ushio's?" Takeshi asked as he caught Kaito coming down the stairs.

"I'm heading to the bakery. Her family are all having dinner there, I was invited."

"Have you had second thoughts about the whole break up thing?" Takeshi questioned in a rather hopeful tone. Kaito let out a sigh as he spoke.

"I'm still unsure what to do ... I've told you before" Kaito said as he took his shoes from besides the front door and began to slip his feet into them.

"She leaves tomorrow though, you should probably decide soon, it's on-"

"I get it, okay?" Kaito interrupted. Takeshi nodded as Kaito placed his hand on the door handle. "I'll see you later" he said as he opened the door and went outside, letting the door close behind him.

Making his way down the road, the local park came into Kaito's view. Looking over to the left side he saw Juni's old road, which lead to his house. Kaito stood there for a moment, remembering the times when he would walk up there to call on his friend, what would follow would be their many misadventures which would only get them in trouble. Closing his eyes Kaito let out a sigh, as he opened them he went to cross the road. Yet, suddenly a loud beeping sound was heard as a large truck came to a sharp halt in front of Kaito. Kaito, just dodging the truck, fell back and breathed heavily. A figure came out of the truck and came running over. "Are you oka-" the voice said, yet he became quiet as he saw who it was he had nearly hit. Looking up, Kaito saw the face of Isao Akimoto, Juni's father. "I nearly didn't see you; you just stepped out like that ..." the man said as he held out his hand, offering it to Kaito. Hesitating for a second Kaito took a hold of Isao's hand as the man pulled him up to his feet. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah" Kaito nodded as he looked over the truck Isao had been driving. In the passenger's seat Kaito saw Juni's mother, Junko, offering a weak smile as she waved her hand. Kaito waved back at her as he noticed the writing on the side of the truck. 'Iwasawa's Moving Company' it read. "Are you moving?" Kaito wondered. Isao looked back to the truck as he examined it. Turning back he nodded.

"We can't stay here" Isao uttered, "It just doesn't feel right anymore." Letting out a sigh, Kaito spoke.

"I-I don't get it" he said.

"What?"

"You're just leaving this behind ... leaving Juni behind?" Kaito asked.

"N-no, no not at all" Isao replied, shaking his head. "We've tried to begin to move on but ... here, it feels like a great weight lies on us, we need to be somewhere where we can start to move forward, away from all the grief and sadness we feel here."

"A fresh start?" Kaito muttered.

"Right" Isao nodded.

"Is that the right thing to do?" Kaito wondered.

"For us, I think it is" Isao began, "but I think we all need to find our own ways to move forward, to rebuild our selves."

"I guess that makes sense" Kaito remarked. Clearing his throat, he spoke again. "I ... I am truly sorry about what happened to Juni ..."

"No" Isao replied, shaking his head. "It was wrong for me to blame you Kaito, you're just a kid" Isao said in his gruff voice. "I should've ... I should've listened to Juni more, be more aware and supportive of his life, rather than trying to control it. I know he always hated me for that."

"I think though, despite whatever bad stuff happened between you ... I know Juni and he'd never wish harm upon anyone, he always wanted the best for people."

"You're right" Isao nodded.

"I know he didn't hate you" Kaito said, giving a small smile. Isao returned it as he nodded and wiped his eyes.

"Right, we better get going" he said as he turned and made his way over to the truck. Junko rolled down the window.

"Goodbye Sakumoto" she smiled as she gave another wave.

"Goodbye" Kaito nodded as Isao also gave a wave. Turning on the ignition Isao accelerated and the truck took off down the road. Kaito watched as Junko and Isao went away, leaving Hikarizaka and all the memories they held there, forever.

"So what are you gonna do?" Akio asked as he, Sanae, Tomoya, Nagisa, Ushio and Kaito all sat around the dinner table. They were enjoying their last meal together before Ushio would be moving away to college.

"I dunno" Kaito replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"You mean you don't have a plan?" Sanae questioned as she brushed a strand of her long brown hair out of her eyes.

"No yet" Kaito said, shaking his head.

"You're still moving in with Takeshi though, aren't you?" Ushio uttered, "That's something" she smiled.

"Sure, I guess" Kaito nodded as he prodded a grain of rice with his chopsticks.

"Nah, you don't really need a plan" Tomoya chuckled, "Not yet at least."

"Sure, that's why everything fell into place for you, right kid?" Akio scoffed, pointing a chopstick at Tomoya.

"Well, I wouldn't be anywhere without you, would I, daddy'o?"

"Don't call me that; son" Akio sneered.

"Ah! I've told you a billion times, that's just creepy!" Tomoya cried in a manly tone.

"Honestly, you two are like children" Sanae sighed.

"He started it" Akio whimpered.

"Sure..." Tomoya said, rolling his eyes.

"Anyway" Nagisa began "It never hurts to be prepared, right Kaito?"

"Right" Kaito smiled.

"I'm sure you'll be fine" Nagisa added, returning the smile.

"I hope so" Kaito muttered.

"Of course ya will!" Akio roared as he stuffed some rice into his mouth. "Ya got spunk kid, street smarts, right?"

"Street smarts?" Kaito questioned.

"Sure, yanno, you'll survive!" Akio laughed.

"Are you implying he's gonna be a pick pocket or something?" Tomoya wondered.

"Aki, don't say things like that!" Ushio scolded, folding her arms as she did.

"Now wait just a minute" Akio mumbled. "...No, that's crazy ... no, no, of course it's crazy" Akio said to himself.

"You're the only one who's crazy here" Tomoya muttered, Kaito chuckled to himself as he heard Tomoya's jest.

"No - well, maybe ... hmmm ..."

"Akio, what are you going on about?" Sanae sighed.

"I've come to a conclusion!" Akio bellowed as he puffed up his chest.

"This should be good" Tomoya groaned, Akio glared at his son-in-law.

"Kaito" he said, turning his head to the boy. "You should come work in the bakery!"

"Really?" Kaito responded, not expecting the proposal.

"Sure!"

"Aki, I'm sure Kaito has other things he wants to do" Ushio stated.

"And, with you, Nagisa and I already working here, what could Kaito do?" Sanae asked, as Akio's beaming face began to droop.

"I'm sure we could find something for him to do" Nagisa said in her ever so sweet voice.

"No, honestly it's fine" Kaito stated, "thank you but I'd just be useless and be-" Kaito laughed.

"Don't say that" Ushio interrupted.

"No, I mean, you guys have it covered with the three of you, honestly I'll be fine. I don't expect anything from you; I haven't done anything for you to offer me a job like that either. So, it's fine."

"You're a part of the family Kaito, isn't that enough?" Nagisa asked, smiling again. Kaito knew in the back of his mind what he had to do, what he was planning to do; the right thing, in his eyes at least. Yet, the ever so welcoming hospitality of Ushio's family hung over him. He felt as if he was being judged, tested at this moment. Looking to Ushio, who held a smile similar to her mothers, he shook his head.

"Honestly, I really appreciate it but ... I can't" Kaito stated. The Furukawa's and the Okazaki's went quiet as they nodded and smiled.

"No worries kid" Akio grinned, "It's your choice of course" and with that, the matter was dropped. Still, as the topic moved along and all seemed to return to normal, Kaito wondered in the back of his mind if he was doing the right thing. He felt as is by the rejecting such an offer he had insulted Ushio and her family. Of course, their smiling faces and joyful personalities contradicted his thoughts. Kaito gave a rather silent sigh as he continued to eat his meal, occasionally looking up to partake in the conversation at hand.

Ushio and Kaito sat out on one of the park benches. The sky was a light with stars as it grew dark. "I kind of feel like I let Aki and the rest of your family down" admitted Kaito, who was still lingering on his thoughts.

"Of course you didn't" Ushio laughed, "Aki mentioned before about asking if you wanted some work. He was just worried about you."

"Still..."

"I think acting the way you did in there made him realise he didn't have to worry though, you handled it well" Ushio smiled.

"I don't get it though" Kaito sighed.

"Get what?" Ushio asked as she turned her body towards him. Kaito faced off towards the starry sky as he spoke.

"Why would he worry? Why would your family have any concern for me?" He wondered. "I know they're kind people to start with bu-"

"My mom said it, you're a part of the family Kaito" Ushio smiled. Kaito stared into her eyes as he saw them twinkle. He remembered back to when he and Ushio first met, the days when things were easier, for the most part. He had his friends, he had his grandmother, he had Mr. Miyagi and he had Juni. For an instant Kaito wanted to remain with Ushio. He wished that this moment they were sharing, the two of them under the stars, he wished that this moment could last for ever. Alas, wishes _rarely_ come true.

"Ushio ..." Kaito sighed. "I-I have to talk to you about something."

"We are talking" Ushio smiled. Kaito shook his head at Ushio's words.

"I can't do this to you ... not anymore" Kaito stated. Ushio raised an eyebrow, rather unsure of what Kaito was meaning.

"I don't understand" she replied.

"Y-you deserve so much more than what I can give you an-"

"Kaito, we've spoke about this. I've told you, it doesn't matter what happens, I love yo-"

"Please, don't say that" Kaito uttered, Ushio went quiet. "I can't handle you saying that to me. You say these things and I know you can give me everything I need, everything I've wanted. All I can give you is meaningless words."

"Meaningless?" echoed Ushio. Kaito nodded. "What are you saying? Don't you l-love me?"

"Of course I do, I'm the luckiest person in the world to have spent even a moment with you Ushio" Kaito stated as his eyes began to water. "But ... you deserve a new start Ushio. You deserve to be away from all the horrible things that have happened here, all I have are those horrible things ... memories and images. I won't be the one who holds you back for my own selfish reasons. I can't do that to you and I won't." Throughout this, Ushio had been taking in Kaito's words, she didn't know how to react, she couldn't think. "I'm doing this because I love you ... we can't be together anymore. You'll meet new people, have a new life, new friends, new places ... I'll be stuck here, holding you back as I always have. I don't want to do that to you ... s-so I have to end this Ushio ... I'm sorry" Kaito wept as tears fell from his face. Ushio stared back at him as she held a cold look on her face. "Ushio?" uttered Kaito, "Please, say something..."

"Fine" Ushio muttered, "Have it your way Kaito" she said as she calmly got up from the bench and began walking away, towards the Furukawa Bakery. Kaito sat there, watching her walk away, completely dumbfounded. He couldn't believe that Ushio had left like that and that she couldn't; no, wouldn't say anything. Wiping his eyes, Kaito stood up, yet it was to no avail, he slumped down onto his knees as he began to cry into his arms ... he was alone.

Ushio made her way upstairs as tears fell from her eyes. Running over into her mother's old room she closed the door and fell on to her knees. Nagisa's room was left rather tidy, the only things in there were a desk and a small built in wardrobe. Akio had often used it for storage since his daughter had left. The room reflected Ushio's feelings, she felt empty and cold. To herself, she appeared to simply get lost within the room. A knock came on the door as Ushio's head shot up. "What is it?" she asked.

"Ushio, are you okay?" A friendly voice asked.

"F-fine" she uttered, wiping her eyes.

"You don't sound fine." Ushio didn't reply, she continued to cry into her hands. The door slowly slid open as her father walked in. Closing the door behind him he knelt down next to his daughter. Wiping her eyes again, Ushio spoke.

"I'm not going to cry..." she mumbled.

"What happened?" Tomoya asked, yet he already had some idea.

"K-Kaito broke up with me" Ushio said as she gave a few deep breaths.

"I see" Tomoya uttered as he placed his arm around Ushio's shoulders. Ushio looked up to him as she spoke.

"Everything has been ruined dad ... everything, since Juni died. Nothing has been the same."

"I know" Tomoya nodded.

"I-I've tried to be strong, for Kumi, for Kaito ... for everyone. Really I have, I-I just can't take it anymore."

"It's okay Ushio, its okay" Tomoya said as he brought his daughter close to him, resting her head on his chest.

"It hurts so much ... I feel so angry and scared ... I miss them all so much dad" Ushio wept, "Now Kaito's gone as well."

"It'll be okay kiddo, it'll be okay" Tomoya uttered as he rocked his daughter back and forth in his arms. "I-I promise you Ushio, everything will be okay. These things happen, I've always told you that everything happens for a reason right?" Tomoya said. Ushio looked up at him as she nodded. Tomoya smiled a she wiped a tear off of his daughter's cheek. "It's all a part of making us into the people we need to be ... I know now it feels bad right now but, you have to trust me. It's all going to be okay" he smiled. Ushio nodded as she embraced her father, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing tightly. Tomoya did the same. The two sat there for a while, no one spoke a word, Ushio simply stayed there, crying in her father's arms.

A knock came from the front door as Chiaki came to answer it. Opening the door it revealed a good looking, blue haired man. He wore rather casual clothing. "Hi" the man smiled.

"Hello" Chiaki nodded.

"You're Chiaki Fujimoto, right? Takeshi mother?" the man asked.

"Yes, I am" Chiaki replied with a smile. "Is he in trouble?" she asked with a worried look.

"N-no, no of course not" the man laughed. "Erm, I'm Tomoya Okazaki, Ushio's father?"

"Oh, of course, you were at the graduation" Chiaki smiled.

"Right" nodded Tomoya.

"How is Ushio? I haven't seen her for a little while."

"Yeah, fine. We're taking her to college in a few hours actually so she and her mother are doing the packing" Tomoya laughed "I'm staying clear."

"I see" Chiaki smiled.

"I actually came to speak with Kaito ... is he in?" Tomoya wondered.

"Um, yes, I think he's in his room" Chiaki replied as her eyes found their way up the stairs. Turning back to Tomoya she spoke, "would you like to come in and I'll fetch him?"

"Oh, no that's fine" Tomoya smiled "I can't stay long, I'll just wait out here" Tomoya stated.

"Alright" Chiaki nodded "I won't be a moment" she said. With that, the front door closed on Tomoya as Chiaki made her way upstairs. A few minutes later the door opened again, yet rather slow this time. Kaito came outside and closed it behind him. He didn't speak; he didn't even look at Tomoya.

"Hey Kaito" greeted Tomoya.

"Hey" Kaito uttered.

"Ushio told me what happened" he stated.

"Right" Kaito nodded.

"Are you okay?" Tomoya asked.

"Yeah" Kaito replied, nodding again. Looking over slightly he spoke again, "How's Ushio?"

"Coping" replied Tomoya. Kaito looked away again, attempting to hide his face; his eyes were rather puffy and red. "Look" Tomoya began, "I understand why you did what you did Kaito." Kaito looked up as Tomoya continued to speak. "I used to doubt myself with Nagisa a lot, especially when I was around your age, after high school anyway. At a time like this, with Ushio moving away, after what happened with your friend as well, I ... well, I feel it was probably the right thing to do, the smart thing."

"What do you mean?" Kaito questioned, as he looked over Tomoya, wondering why he was even speaking with him.

"You both need time to move past all of this. If time apart is what's going to help then so be it. Trust me, I've been through the same things all of you have, time really does help. It may be longer than you think or it may be shorter but things will get better Kaito."

"Tomoya ... why are you bothering with me?"

"People need to help each other Kaito, that's just the way it is" Tomoya smiled. Kaito nodded at his words, in truth, they had made him feel a little more upbeat. "It is a shame though" Tomoya added.

"Huh?"

"We were really starting to like you" stated Tomoya, "who knows, maybe it will all work out." Tomoya began to walk away, as he reached the end of Takeshi's rather untidy drive; he turned back around and spoke. "Don't be a stranger, Kaito" he said. Kaito nodded as Tomoya turned back around and walked away.

Later, that afternoon, Kaito and Takeshi were sat out on a large grassy banking. It over looked a river which separated their town from the next one over. As the sun shone down on the two of them Kaito sat up, looking out at the view. Takeshi had been laying back on the banking, arms behind his head, eyes closed. The cool breeze hit them and Takeshi smiled, opening his eyes he also sat up. "We did dude" he said.

"Did what?" Kaito asked.

"I dunno, made it out in to the world? Survived high school? Graduated? ... All of the above?" He chuckled.

"I guess" Kaito nodded. Standing up, Takeshi walked over to Kaito and sat down next to him.

"Kaito, I know things seem shitter than ever right now ... but we have our whole lives ahead of us, where we go now is for us to decide pal. I know we'll be okay" The blonde haired boy smiled. Kaito looked back out to the wonderful view that lay in front of them. Thinking for a moment, he nodded.

"You're right Keshi" Kaito stated "we've made it this far ... as long as we have each other's backs we'll be okay" he said, giving a weak smile.

"You'll see Kaito" Takeshi nodded, "we'll take the world by storm, it's a whole new adventure!"

"You had to ruin it, didn't you?" Kaito sighed.

"Aw come on, we all like a bit of cheese" Takeshi grinned. Kaito shook his head.

"I suppose Keshi."

"Well, whatever happens, whatever it is ... I'm excited for it and I know we'll handle anything that comes our way" Takeshi smiled as he put his hand out to Kaito. Kaito nodded as he locked hands with Takeshi, they gave an awkward twiddle with their thumbs before the let go.

"We've got to work on that hand shake" Kaito chuckled.

"We'll get there eventually" Takeshi smiled.

"Eventually" echoed Kaito. The two returned their gaze out to the horizon as the looked on, dreaming and hoping about what their future would be.

Ushio sat alone in her dorm room. Her parents had left after dropping her off and helping her unpack. The room wasn't very big, it held a bed, a desk, a wardrobe and then whatever the student decided to bring with them. She had nearly finished sorting out where her things were going to go when a knock on the door was heard. Letting out a sigh, Ushio walked over to the door and opened it. A boy stood on the other side. He was rather good looking with a maroon tint to his hair. He had piercing green eyes and was rather well built. "Hey" he said with a smile.

"Hi" Ushio replied in a gentle tone.

"Um, I'm Satoru" he said, as he put his hand out.

"Ushio" she replied as she shook his hand. Letting go, he spoke.

"Me and the others from our hall, well, we're gonna go for a drink or something. I was wondering if you wanted to join us?" he asked. Hesitating for a moment, Ushio smiled.

"Sure" she nodded, "can you just give me a few minutes?"

"We'll be waiting outside" he nodded as he began to close the door, "Oh, it was nice to meet you" he smiled.

"You too" Ushio smiled. The boy closed the door and Ushio was left alone again. Looking around her room she found her gaze had fallen on a picture that lay on her desk. It was of her, Kumiko, Juni, Takeshi, Yumi and Kaito ... their photo from the leaver's ball. Letting out a sigh, she nodded. Grabbing her jacket, turning off the light and opening the door, she stepped outside. Ushio gave a deep breath as she closed the door. With that, she bravely headed out to start her new life, a new chapter in her ever growing story.

**~*50*~**

**_Sorry this took so long! I spent a good while working on it. Just to let you know, and to get it out of the way, I'm going to be taking a break, most likely a month or so off from writing chapters. What this month will be dedicated to is refining the current 50 chapters, revising them for spelling and structure etc. Also, I will be reworking my plan for the next 50 or so chapters - so look forward to those! That leads me on to the next thing..._**

**_Now, I don't know if you'll remember, one or two of you might but a while ago I stated I was aiming for 100 chapters to tell the whole story. The initial plan when I originally wrote the first outline of the story was for 45/50 chapters in all. I quickly saw that this wouldn't work as the story wouldn't feel fleshed out and would be too rushed. _**_(For instance Kaito was going to go live with Ushio for a while, Takeshi would have been one of the most popular kids in school and Juni's death would have happened in chapter 18 ... imagine that.) __**I've been thinking the same thing as of late. What would be the second half of the story would consist of the next 50 chapters. I would essentially cover the characters lives after college, in the working world at the 21 - 23 age range **__(young adults)__**, developing their relationships further, moving into their own homes and such - for a rough idea. Then I would cover their lives in parenthood, having children and coping with likes of that. However, now I'm really having trouble seeing how I would fit it all in to 50 chapters. Again, I think it would feel too rushed as the story really, at times, needs to breath. So, and I know considering it's taken me a year to get to chapter 50, it'll take a while; I think the whole story will be told in 125 - 150 chapters. Essentially, this would make the story a trilogy of sorts. For instances book 1 would be 'Clannad: Ushio's Story' **__(High School days)__**. Book 2 would be 'Clannad: Ushio After' **__(Young adult stage) __**and book 3 would be 'Clannad: Ushio ?' **__(Parenthood stage)__**. Judging by the rate I have put out the current chapters at, and taking into consideration that my life will most likely get even busier once I enter my second year of University - the work load will increase a lot - it will probably take around 3 years or so for the entire story to be complete **__(Including the chapters I have already put out)__**. I think this would be the best way to serve the story and make it as good as it can possibly be. I do have a plan for the entire story, yet there are others things I want to do with it and I feel the extension would allow me to do these things. I dunno though; if you're bothered at all let me know in your review. I want to know what you think since I'm not just doing this for me, but for all you guys that read every chapter and give me feedback and support which I appreciate a hell of a lot. Anyway, thanks for sticking with me this far, I'll see you in a month or so! - I'll most likely post a small progress update on the 8**__**th**____**of Feb, my stories year anniversary haha - I feel like having a break, expect the next chapter on the 1st of March! **_


	51. Book II: Ushio After

**~*Author's Note*~**

**Sod it! I missed updating so … well; instead of a progress update here's the new chapter! - Fun fact, this chapter has actually been released exactly a year after the story was first published. A coincidence? Sure. ^_^'**

こんにちは、私の友人、クラナドへようこそ：牛尾後！

"_**Hello, welcome back I suppose? Here, we begin Book II: Ushi-"**_

"_**What are you doing?" **_

"_**Takeshi? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the story and not, yanno, in my little note to the readers?"**_

"_**Sorry 'Mr. Author' … biggin' yourself up a bit there, aren't ya?"**_

"_**Technically, I am an author, even if this is just a fanfi-" **_

"_**Anyway, I thought I'd contribute since you obviously can't do this right."**_

"_**Well, that's rude."**_

"_**Boohoo man, just let me do it."**_

"_**Where's Kaito? Shouldn't you be with him right now?"**_

"_**He's not available at the moment, if you'd like to leave a message I'll be su-"**_

"_**Shut up please."**_

"_**Tsk, fine."**_

"_**How is Kaito anyway? It's been about, what, three years?"**_

"_**Wow, that long? It only seems like a month or so!"**_

"_**Don't be getting all meta and self aware now boy."**_

"_**Why are you talking like that?"**_

"_**Sorry, I'm just excited for the story to start."**_

"_**Oh …"**_

"_**You didn't answer my question … how is Kaito?"**_

"_**Sure he's okay … a little miserable every now and then but sure, he's fine."**_

"_**Great. Now, get lost so I can do this."**_

"_**Le'me do it."**_

"_**No."**_

"_**Pleeeaaaase!"**_

"_**Honestly, you're a child; can't you act your age? You're 20 years old, right?"**_

"_**21."**_

"_**I rest my case …"**_

"_**Just let me."**_

"_**Fine! Go ahead!"**_

"_**Good."**_

"_**Go on then …"**_

"_**Yep."**_

"_**Well …"**_

"_**Uhuh."**_

"_**You have no idea what this is, do you?"**_

"_**Oh, just get on with it! No one cares about this crap; we just want to see what happens next!"**_

"_**Fine … without further ado, I guess, I give you Book II: Ushio After."**_

"_**I better have a big part in this."**_

"_**We'll see."**_

"_**I'm a fan favourite!"**_

"_**Since when?"**_

"_**Since Chapter 1."**_

"_**What did I say about being self aware?"**_

"_**Just tell me if I have a big part or not!"**_

"_**You do! Happy now? … Takeshi? … Takeshi?! … Honestly, he's hopeless."**_

**~*51*~**

Looking out across the vast plain of fields, the young man scrunched up his face as he attempted to focus on the figure in the distance. He felt the cool breeze blow on the back of his neck, turning; he saw several lights flying up towards the sky behind him, six to be exact. As he turned back towards the figure he noticed that it had moved closer to him. He could just make out a crop of red hair as the figure bolted away, crying. The young man tried to follow but he could not move. Tugging at his heavy legs he looked back up, the figure was gone, the light was gone. After some resistance he managed to pull one of his legs up off of the ground. Yet, beneath him the earthy soil began to loosen, he sunk down into the ground, he kept sinking. Suddenly the boy with the crop of red hair emerged in front of him, a hand stretched outwards. The young man, in a struggle, attempted to grab it, yet he simply continued to sink, all that could be heard were his muffled cries as he was all but consumed by the ground beneath him.

"Juni! Juni!" Kaito cried as he shot up from his bed. A pool of sweat lay around him as beads of it continued to drip down from his face. Breathing heavily, he brushed his hand through his, now short, locks of hair. His bedroom door burst open as his room mate came running in.

"Kaito, you okay?" The blonde haired man asked.

"Yeah, Keshi" Kaito nodded in reply. Takeshi sat down at the end of Kaito's bed; all that covered him was his dark green dressing gown.

"Was it another dream?"

"Yeah … another dream" Kaito uttered. Kaito brought his hands to his face as he rubbed his weary eyes. Takeshi gave a slight smile.

"I'll stick the kettle on, shall I?" He suggested.

"Sure" nodded Kaito.

Kaito and Takeshi were sat down at a small table in their rather small kitchen. The counters were aligned with several pieces of cooking equipment. They had a large fridge/freezer that sat at one side, a rather larger oven and a dish washer. This was Takeshi's favourite room in the house, for reasons that would of course be obvious to Kaito. Takeshi often spent hours upon hours in there, cooking from recipes and making some of his own. However, it didn't take a chef to make a cup of tea. Takeshi brought his cup up to his mouth as he took a sip, Kaito hadn't even touched his. He stared into the creamy brown liquid that swirled around in its cup, following the flowing tea that had recently been stirred. "You're coming today, right?" Kaito asked, still staring at his drink.

"Of course I am" Takeshi replied.

"It's three years to the day Keshi, I think that's why it's been getting worse" Kaito sighed, Takeshi gave a slight nod. After a moment of silence, Takeshi spoke.

"I know you hate me saying so but Kaito, you need to see someone" Takeshi said. Kaito let out a sigh.

"We've talked about this, I'm fine."

"Waking up in the early hours of the morning every few days, screaming out our friend's name … that isn't fine Kaito."

"I'm not letting a doctor or a therapist or anyone examine me. I can look after myself."

"I'm not saying you can't buddy but … we all need help sometimes, if you'd just go and se-"

"I've told you I'm not doing it!" Kaito yelled. Just then, light footsteps were heard coming from down the hallway. A woman came into view; she had yellow eyes and a green tint to her long hair. She wore one of Takeshi's shirts to cover her body.

"Takeshi, aren't you coming back to bed? Its 3:15 am" she said with a yawn.

"Y-yeah sure, I'll be there in a minute" Takeshi replied. The woman gave a slight grin as she turned and made her way back down the hallway, past the bathroom and living room, and back into Takeshi's bedroom. As they heard his bedroom door close Kaito and Takeshi both shared a confused look. "I honestly forgot she was in there" Takeshi chuckled.

"Nice" Kaito sighed.

"To tell you the truth, I don't even remember her name."

"Classy" Kaito huffed as he finally took a sip of his tea. Takeshi stood up from the table as he spoke.

"Just have a think about what I said Kaito, I think it would be good for you" Takeshi stated as he looked on a Kaito who held a gloomy look on his face. Letting out a sigh, Takeshi picked up his cup of tea and made his way down the hallway and into his bedroom, locking the door behind him.

The crisp morning air settled over Kaito and Takeshi. They stood in the town's cemetery; it was filled with tombs and head stones. Kaito wore his old, dark jacket over a shirt. Takeshi wore a blue hoodie. The both of them sported simple jeans and shoes. Kaito knelt down on his knees in front of a grave; Takeshi stood a short distance behind him. The headstone on the grave read 'Junichiro Akimoto 16/03/2006 - 20/04/2024: A beloved son & cherished friend.' Kaito stared over the grave as Takeshi took out a handkerchief. Applying his spit to it he began to wipe over the headstone, removing several spots of bird faeces. "Three years" muttered Kaito.

"It seems longer" replied Takeshi who continued to clean the stone grave.

"I-I'm sorry …" Kaito sighed.

"Huh?" Takeshi mumbled. As he looked up, his eyes settled on Kaito. "Oh, right" he nodded. This was a rather common occurrence for the two. After the death of Juni and after their friends had departed for college, Kaito and Takeshi would often visit their friend. Over the years it had gone from every week, to every month and then to Christmas and Juni's birthday. Now, they only visited on the anniversary of Juni's death. Yet, the same thing happened each time. Takeshi would clean the headstone, Kaito would kneel down and apologise to Juni.

"I can't do it … I need you Juni" stated. Takeshi let out a sigh as he finished wiping down the grave. Removing the bag that he carried on his back, Takeshi pulled out a bouquet of flowers. He squatted down as he held the flowers out to Kaito.

"Here man" he said. Kaito's eyes shifted towards Takeshi, he nodded and took the flowers from his hand. Takeshi stood back up and placed his hand on the now shining headstone. "We miss you buddy" he said with a smile, "I'll see you next year." Takeshi took a few steps back, giving Kaito some space. Kaito placed the flowers in a small vase that sat next to the grave.

"It should've been me Juni … I should be down there and you should be right here."

"Kaito don-"

"Don't Keshi, okay?" Kaito said as he looked up to his friend. "Just don't."

Kaito had his head leant on the window of the passenger seat in Takeshi's car. He looked out on the town as the streets zipped past him. Takeshi was in the driver's seat, neither one were speaking. The radio was on rather low, it only served as a distraction from the eerie atmosphere that had found its way into the car. Kaito let out a rather long sigh as they came to a set of traffic lights. Kaito pulled out his old phone as he brought a name up on it. Takeshi's eyes glanced over as he saw what Kaito was doing. Kaito was typing out a message, a message to Juni. After typing it out, he hit send, of course the number was no longer in service. Kaito's phone vibrated as a notification that read 'unable to send message' appeared. Takeshi shook his head as the traffic lights went green. Putting his foot down, he drove the car forwards and continued along the road.

"You need to go shopping today" Takeshi said as he entered the kitchen the next morning.

"Can't you go after work?" Kaito asked.

"No, I'm working late tonight" Takeshi replied. "You get off at 3 don't you?"

"Yeah" Kaito nodded.

"Okay … so you can go shopping then, right?" Takeshi wondered as he poured himself a cup of tea.

"Sure, I suppose" Kaito muttered as he poked at his plate or rice.

"I'll leave you a list before I head off, okay?"

"Yep" Kaito mumbled as he chewed his food. Takeshi took a seat opposite from Kaito.

"Kaito, it wouldn't hurt for you to be a bit more enthusiastic about helping me around here" Takeshi stated. Kaito looked up to him with a glare.

"Where did that come from?"

"I get that you're dealing with things but come on, I can't do this all by myself."

"I pay my half of the rent for this apartment. I even paid the full rent for the first three months until you got a job or have you forgotten that?" Kaito replied.

"That was three years ago, I've paid you back for that or have _you_ forgotten that?" Takeshi retorted. Kaito went quiet as Takeshi took a sip of his tea. A queer smell entered Takeshi's nose as he screwed up his face. "Kaito, I've told you before, putting that much pepper on your rice really isn't good for you."

"… I like it like this" Kaito mumbled.

"You can't even taste it, it's that bitter."

"I don't need to taste it … I just need to eat it" Kaito sighed as he shoved another lot of rice into his mouth.

"Kaito?"

"What?"

" … Have you thought about the whole doctor thing?" Takeshi asked in a worried tone. Kaito let out a sigh. Placing down his chopsticks he looked up, meeting his friends gaze.

"Do _you_ think I need to see a doctor?" Kaito asked in a calm tone. Takeshi gave a slight nod at Kaito.

"You've been well … I guess depressed is the word right? You've been like that for way too long Kaito … I'm just worried about you."

"I can take care of myself Ke-"

"No you can't Kaito. You're killing yourself, all the drinking and smoking, that isn't you" Takeshi let out a sigh as he rubbed his face. Letting his hand drop down he spoke. "I can't keep doing this man, I can't take it anymore. I've tried to help you before, remember that trip we went on?"

"Yeah" Kaito replied.

"After all the stuff we did, when we got back you just went back to being like this."

"I've just had stuff going o-"

"Stop" Takeshi said, putting out his hand. Kaito went quiet again. "It's been three years. I know you blame yourself for what happened. I know you regret everything with Ushio and I know you miss our friends." Kaito hung his head. "It's been three years; you have to move on Kaito."

"You want me to just forget everything? Forget Juni?!"

"Don't twist my words Kaito, that's not fair."

"I'll tell you what's not fair. Being dealt a shit hand since the moment you were born, having everything you love taken away from you, watching everyone else fly past you and make something of themselves, having good lives while you get left behind. That's not fair Keshi!"

"It's down to you to make something for yourself pal" Takeshi sighed. "Please, just do this. Not for me but for you" Takeshi suggested. Kaito looked on at his friend. Letting out a sigh, Kaito gave a nod. "Thank you."

Kaito made his way around the supermarket, pushing his trolley along, keeping his eye out for whatever items Takeshi had put on the list. He scrolled down the list with his eyes:

Carrots

Rice

Tea Leaves

Soap

Orange Juice

Apple Juice

Beer

Gi-

_Wait, Beer? _Kaito thought to himself, _finally something good_. Kaito pushed his trolley over to the fridges that lay across from him. As he came up to it he reached out and slid one of the doors open. "These are just singles" Kaito mumbled to himself. Closing the door, he turned around to look for the cases of beer. As his eyes looked over the busy shoppers he settled on them. Pushing on over to them he came to a stop. Kaito studied the shelves of beer. When he had found one he liked he reached up for it. As he grabbed the case of beer, bringing down and supporting the weight on his chest, Kaito heard a voice. It was a very familiar voice, a very gentle and sweet voice.

"Kaito?" It asked. Kaito nearly dropped the beer as he turned around. There, stood in front of him, was Nagisa Okazaki.

"N-Nagisa?" Kaito uttered. Nagisa smiled as she nodded.

"Yes, I thought it was you" she laughed. Kaito cleared his throat and placed the case of beer into his trolley. He stared at her for a moment, rather bewildered. "How are you?" She asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay. How are you?"

"Great thank you" she smiled. "It's been a while huh?"

"Yeah" Kaito agreed, "about 2 years or so right?" Nagisa nodded at him.

"That sounds about right, Tomoya kept going on about getting a drink with you but we started seeing less of you so …"

"Yeah, I've kind of been out of it" Kaito said with an uneasy laugh. "Sorry about that, I know I said I'd keep in touch but …"

"It's fine" Nagisa smiled.

"How is Tomoya?" Kaito wondered.

"He's fine, work has kept him a bit busy lately but other than that he's the same old Tomoya" Nagisa said in a cheery voice. Kaito smiled yet it suddenly faded.

"How's Ushio doing?" He asked. Nagisa went quiet for a moment. Kaito was about to speak, telling her that it didn't matter but Nagisa, eventually, spoke up.

"Yes, she's fine" she nodded, "she graduated a few weeks ago actually."

"Oh yeah? That's great" Kaito muttered as he rubbed the stubble on his chin. "So is she back living with you now?"

" … Not yet, she's coming back in a week or two" stated Nagisa. She studied him for a moment, then she gave another one of her usual smiles. "You should come over for dinner tonight" Nagisa suggested.

"What?"

"You really should!" She beamed as her hazel eyes lit up.

"I dunno …"

"Please? I'm making pork cutlet tonight? It'll be good" she laughed. Kaito gave a smile.

"Okay" he nodded, "I'll come, thanks."

"Great, you still have your old phone right?"

"Yeah."

"I'll call you later, we moved last year so I'll have to give you the address and I'll let you know what time as well" she smiled.

"Sure, okay."

"Alright, well it was nice seeing you again, I have to get going" she stated as she gave Kaito one last smile and walked away. _Well, that was strange_ Kaito thought to himself.

Kaito looked at the piece of paper that lay in his hand. It had the Okazaki's address written on it. "Number 15, this must be it" he said as he approached the front garden. The house looked very nice. It had a rather large front garden with a drive than ran up to the house. The house had been painted white and looked a lot bigger than their old one. It stood just around the corner from the Furukawa bakery. _Figures_, Kaito thought to himself, _the Okazakis and Furukawas were always a tight bunch. _Kaito passed a large van as he walked up the drive. Coming to the front door, he knocked. Now, in all honesty, Kaito didn't own any nice clothes. He had fallen into the habit of wearing his usual dark jacket over anything, usually a shirt. So, he sported his usual get up. Of course, the Okazakis wouldn't mind! The door opened and there stood Tomoya, his blue hair shone from the light inside the house.

"Kaito!" He smiled.

"Hey Tomoya" Kaito replied. Tomoya placed out his hand as Kaito shook it, giving him a nod.

"Come on kid, come on in" Tomoya said as he gestured with his arm. Kaito walked past him and entered. "You're looking good" Tomoya laughed.

"Yeah, you too" Kaito replied.

"Thanks" Tomoya chuckled. "Nagisa is just in the kitchen." Kaito studied the entrance of the house. It was a small room, full of shoes and coats, off to the left; through a little archway was a hallway. "Just down there, right at the end" Tomoya said as he pointed with his finger.

"Okay" Kaito nodded as he made his way through the hallway, scanning several doors as went through. At the end of the hallway was a set of stair that led to the rest of the house, opposite that was the kitchen. As Kaito approached the entrance, he heard a familiar song being sung.

"Dango, Dango, Dango, Dango, Dango, Dango, Dango daikazoku." Kaito saw Nagisa at the hob of the oven, cooking something in a saucepan. Tomoya approached him from behind as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Nagisa, look who I found wandering the streets!" His wife turned around as she smiled.

"Kaito, you came!"

"Yeah … I said I would" Kaito laughed.

"You did" Nagisa nodded. She wore an apron over her clothes; it read 'Dango' with a small dumpling sat underneath.

"Well Kaito, d'you want a beer?" Tomoya offered. Kaito nodded as Tomoya made his way over to the fridge.

"I hope you're hungry" Nagisa said.

"Well, living with Keshi I'm never short of food … but sure I can eat" he jested in an attempt to make a joke.

"Oh yes, how is Takeshi?" Nagisa asked.

"Yeah he's doing well, he's going to be a head chef one of these days" Kaito said, giving a weak smile. Tomoya approached him, handing him a bottle of beer.

"And what about you?" Tomoya asked. Kaito went quiet as he traced the tip of his finger around the neck of his beer.

"I work for the council" Kaito uttered, taking a rather large swig of his beer.

"Doing what?" Nagisa asked, smiling as she always did. Kaito spent a few minutes, swilling the beer around inside his mouth. Finally he swallowed.

"I clean the streets … litter and that."

"Oh, I see" Nagisa said.

"I know it sound like community service but it's not. I mean, I do pick up dog sh-er, faeces but it's not that bad."

"It's a job kid" Tomoya smiled, taking a sip of his beer.

"Right" Kaito nodded.

"Well" Nagisa said, letting out a sigh. "Dinner will be a little while."

"Why don't you go in the living room Kaito? I'll join you a few minutes" Tomoya suggested. Kaito nodded.

"Sure and where is the living room exactly?" He asked with a laugh.

"First door on your left" Tomoya replied. Kaito gave a nod as he exited the kitchen. Tomoya turned to Nagisa as he spoke. "You're sure this was a good idea?" He asked.

"I really do" Nagisa smiled.

Kaito came to the door as he placed his fingers on the handle. He slowly slid the door open as he entered. The living room was very tidy, a coffee table lay in the middle of two sofas, a television sat in the corner of the room. On the monitor Kaito saw a video game of some sort as his eyes settled on the person playing the game. It was a young woman. She had brunette hair which flowed down her back. From what he could see, she had hazel eyes, much like Nagisa. Kaito came closer; the woman was unaware of his presence. Kaito's heart skipped a beat as he couldn't believe who was sat in front of him, eyes fixed on the television. He swallowed his breath as he spoke. "U-Ushio?"

**~*51*~**


	52. Old Friends

**~*52*~**

Kaito sat down in the hard chair that sat across from the desk. The doctor sat on the other side of it as he shuffled some papers around. Kaito cleared his throat as the doctor looked up. "Right Mr. Sakumoto," he said as he peered through his glasses at the dark haired man. "I understand you haven't been feeling very well, for quite a long time yes?" Kaito nodded at the man. "Okay, so tell me. What has been troubling you?" The doctor asked. Kaito's eyes shifted around the room nervously. His gaze landed on the man as he took a sigh.

"I didn't realise you were a shrink."

"Well, I'm here to help you. If you're feeling a certain way then it's my job to get to the bottom of it." The doctor adjusted his glasses as he spoke. The man continued on, "no matter how that may be, even if it means sitting here and simply talking about your problems."

"I see," Kaito uttered. "I don't really know where to start."

"The beginning is usually a good place," chuckled the man. Nodding, Kaito took a deep breath as he began to tell the doctor everything.

* * *

><p>"Ushio?" Kaito said as he leant in closer, peering at the woman playing her game. He noticed that she had ear phones stuck in her ears, there was no way she could hear him. Kaito let out a slight sigh as he reached his hand out towards her. As he brought his fingers tips down to her shoulder, Ushio turned around. Jolting back, rather shocked at the sight of Kaito, Ushio ripped out her ear phones.<p>

"K-Kaito?" She uttered, looking over the man.

"Hey," Kaito mumbled, taking a step backwards.

"What are you doing here?" Ushio asked as she stood up from the floor. She wore a white vest top with blue leggings. Her hair was a lot longer than Kaito remembered; she looked different, a lot more mature in his eyes. "Kaito?" Ushio repeated.

"Sorry, I kind of spaced out." Kaito gave an uneasy laugh. "I thought you weren't back for another week or so? That's what Nagisa said." Suddenly a figure came through the door.

"Well ... here we are," smiled Tomoya.

"Dad, why didn't you tell me Kaito was coming?" Ushio asked as she began to grow rather flustered.

"Hey now, it was your mom's idea."

"But dad how-"

"Oh now Ushio," Nagisa chirped as she entered the room, spatula in hand. "Don't be so dramatic."

"You're kidding right?" Ushio asked as her face began to grow red.

"By the way, thank you for dropping me in this Tomoya," Nagisa uttered, looking towards her husband.

"Well it was _your _idea; I didn't think it would go down that well, no offence Kaito." Tomoya gave a wink at the young man.

"None taken," Kaito mumbled.

"You can't just do this, Kaito and I ... well we haven't spoken in a long time," Ushio admitted. "Have we?"

"Well, no." Kaito replied.

"That's why we did it," Nagisa smiled.

"_You_," added Tomoya.

"Tomoya," Nagisa sighed. Tomoya looked to her; he also gave a sigh as he nodded.

"Okay ...Ushio, _we _just thought it would be a nice idea. Also your mom didn't run into any of your other friends to invite over." He chuckled.

"I'm 21 dad; I can invite my own friends over," Ushio scowled. Amongst the heated discussion between the Okazaki's, Kaito had gotten lost in his trace of thought, wondering when they would all settle down and he would be able to leave. As he came to his senses, he noticed the ongoing debate between the three of them. Letting out a cough, he spoke.

"Look," he began as the others went quiet. "Maybe I should just go," he said as he gave Tomoya his beer and began to leave.

"Oh, Kaito you don't have to go." Nagisa said in a worried tone.

"Ushio doesn't want me here, I don't blame her." Kaito looked over to his old friend. Ushio's gaze left him as he sighed. "It's fine, thank you for having me," Kaito said as he turned away and began to walk out of the room.

"Kaito ... wait," Ushio muttered. He came to a stop as he turned to face her. "Don't leave."

"You want me to stay?" Kaito asked.

"I still think this was a weird thing for you guys to do," Ushio stated as her eyes shifted between her parents. "But ... y-you could at least stay for dinner," she said, giving a smile. Nagisa and Tomoya looked to Kaito as he nodded.

"Okay."

* * *

><p>Kaito took a sip of his beer as he shifted his gaze across the table. Ushio sat at the other side, prodding her food. To Kaito's left there was Tomoya and to his right sat Nagisa. It had been a long time since he had sat down with Ushio's family to enjoy one of her mother's home cooked meals. As Kaito took a bite of his pork cutlet, Nagisa spoke, breaking the previous silence that hung over the room. "How is it?"<p>

"Great, the same as I remember," replied Kaito.

"I'm glad," Nagisa smiled as she took a sip of wine from her glass. Tomoya was cutting away at his piece of meat as Nagisa let out a cough. Looking up, Tomoya met her eyes as Nagisa raised her brow. Rolling his eyes, Tomoya gave a nod.

"It feels a little cold in here, someone start talking." The blue haired man chuckled.

"So what have you been up to?" Ushio asked as she looked up towards Kaito. Kaito's eyes widened as he brought his beer down from his lips. Swallowing, he let out sigh.

"You know this and that."

"I see," Ushio replied.

"Nothing's really changed."

"You must have had one or two adventures though? I mean, what, it's been two years or so since Nagisa and I have seen you. Nothings changed apart from that job of yours?" Tomoya chuckled.

"Well, Takeshi and I did go on a trip a while back." Kaito stated.

"Where did you go?" Nagisa asked.

"Egypt," Kaito mumbled as he chewed on a piece of pork.

"That sounds fun," smiled Nagisa.

"It wasn't, we ended up getting in a bit of trouble with some locals."

"Sounds familiar," Ushio chuckled. "Remember our trip to that lake, with the fishermen and their boat?"

"Yeah, I remember," Kaito nodded. Tomoya began to laugh, nearly choking on his beer in the process.

"They came at you with guns didn't they?" He smirked.

"Yeah, that's right ... chased me and Keshi all the way back to our campsite."

"What? Guns?!" Nagisa cried, "Why didn't I know about this?" Tomoya, Ushio and Kaito all looked to each other.

"We just didn't want you to worry mom," Ushio smiled. Nagisa shook her head.

"That's really dangerous, Kaito you could've been killed!"

"Honey," Tomoya laughed. Nagisa looked to her husband. "This is why we didn't tell you, that was years ago and you're worrying about it now."

"Oh," Nagisa uttered, "I still wished you would have said something."

"We were fine, apart from some wet pants we came out of it unscathed." Kaito stated, as if attempting a joke.

"Ya see, fine and dandy, no bullet wounds," Tomoya chuckled. Nagisa smiled and nodded as Ushio fixed her gaze on Kaito.

"So, where do you work Kaito?" She asked. Kaito looked up as he felt himself begin to go red.

"Everywhere I guess."

"So you travel?" Ushio asked curiously.

"You could say that," Kaito replied. "I work for the council ... cleaning streets and that."

"Oh," Ushio uttered. "That sounds good," she said while offering a smile.

"Sure it does," Kaito sighed.

"Like we said before Kaito, a job's a job," Tomoya smiled.

"Right, you're just finding your footing," Nagisa added.

"Sure," nodded Kaito.

Ushio studied Kaito for a moment, it was strange, the last time she had seen him they were still a couple. Yet, being sat at the table with Kaito and her parents; it felt rather nostalgic to her, despite the two of them no longer being together. In truth she didn't know how to feel at this moment in time. Was she still made at Kaito? Did she still feel something for him? She didn't know herself. Shrugging off her thoughts she returned to her meal and the conversation at hand.

* * *

><p>A while later dinner had finished so Kaito had said goodbye to Tomoya and Nagisa. Ushio had said that she wanted to take a walk with him so she and Kaito had made their way to the local park. The park sat outside the Furukawa bakery, a place they had often visited when they were in school together. As the two of them sat on one of the benches, Kaito looked on at the bakery and gave a nod. "How is the old man anyway?"<p>

"Aki?" Ushio asked.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"He's fine, the same as always I suppose ... mom always says he hasn't changed since she was a kid."

"And Sanae?"

"Both fine." She said, giving him a nod as she looked to the floor, softly tapping on the ground with her foot. Kaito studied her for a moment, letting out a sigh he spoke.

"You've changed."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"How so?" Ushio wondered.

"You just seem different. You look different."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, a good thing," Kaito stated, Ushio raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't mean like that," he said in a dry voice. "You know."

"Okay."

"You're just ... you seem less naive I guess," acknowledged Kaito.

"I never knew I was naive," she said. "I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or not."

"Take it as you will," Kaito mumbled as he laid he head back against the back of the wooden bench.

"Well, you've barely changed. You're still as blunt as always." Ushio replied.

"Right," Kaito nodded. Ushio went quiet for a moment, she looked over Kaito. His eyes were closed as he let the dimming sun linger on his face. His short stubble cast a slight shadow to the side of itself. _You do seem different though, _Ushio thought to herself, though she couldn't place her finger on what it was. She gave a weak smile as she spoke.

"I should probably tell you something Kaito." She said.

"What's that?" He asked as he opened an eye.

"Well, I mean I don't think I have to tell you. I think I want to though," she muttered.

"Just say it," Kaito huffed.

"Okay ... I have a boyfriend." Ushio went quiet as she and Kaito shared a sharp look. Kaito closed his one opened eye as he breathed deeply.

"Good for you," he mumbled.

"What?" Ushio asked, rather unsure at to what the man had just said.

"Good for you," repeated Kaito.

"Good for you?"

"I'm not repeating myself again."

"What's that supposed to mean? _Good for you._" She asked.

"Well, what do you expect me to say?" Kaito wondered as he propped his head up and looked on at her. Ushio shrugged her shoulders as she spoke.

"I don't know, it just sounds a little condescending is all."

"Well then," Kaito began. He rubbed his eyes as he stared at Ushio for a moment. "Congratulations?"

"Fine," Ushio huffed.

"Honestly though, we've barely spoken in three years. I don't know what to say to something like that." Kaito thought for a moment, he didn't particularly enjoy putting so much effort into a conversation, let alone discussing Ushio's current romances. "I don't have a girlfriend if that's what you want to hear."

"Why would I want to-"

"Let's just stop this. I really can't be bothered." He moaned as he stood up and gave a stretch. Ushio focused on Kaito. He looked tired, unfocused ... a little sad.

"So ... hasn't there been any girls?" Ushio asked, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. Kaito let out a sigh as turned around to face her.

"One or two, nothing serious though," replied Kaito. "Happy now?"

"Don't be silly," Ushio said as she gave him a weak smile. Kaito slowly sat back down next to the girl. He began to pick at the side of the wooden bench, tearing off a few wood chips here and there. Ushio was still, staring forward at the small park, looking over the swings that barely moved in the soft breeze.

"So, what's his name?" Kaito finally asked.

"Satoru."

"Satoru," Kaito echoed. "Wait, _Sato_-ru?" Ushio gave him an annoyed look.

"No. Sa-_toru _," stated Ushio. Kaito shook his head.

"You do understand the irony in that though, right?" Kaito scoffed.

"I don't think I'd call it irony, maybe just a coincidence," Ushio sighed.

"Whatever you say," Kaito sighed. Ushio looked at him as Kaito stared back. Ushio began to laugh, catching Kaito off guard. As he looked at her, laughing to herself, Kaito smiled. It was, for him, the first genuine smile he had done in a long time.

* * *

><p>Takeshi heard the lock turn in the front door as it swung open and his friend slumped in. "Sup man," Takeshi said as he stood in front of the stove, watching a simmering pot.<p>

"Not again Keshi," Kaito moaned as he sat down at the table, placing his feet up on it.

"It's just a few new recipes," Takeshi let out a sigh.

"Right," Kaito nodded.

"So?" Takeshi mumbled as he turned the hob down and took a seat opposite Kaito, pushing his feet away from the top of the table.

"So what?"

"How did it go?"

"You mean dinner?" Kaito asked. Takeshi gave his friend a nod. "Alright ... Ushio was there."

"Ushio? Really?"

"No, I'm lying," Kaito muttered.

"Huh?"

"Doesn't matter," Kaito sighed.

"How is she then?" Takeshi asked as he placed his feet up onto the table. Kaito glared at him for a moment. Taking a deep breath, he spoke.

"Fine."

"Fine?" Takeshi mimicked.

"Yeah, it was neither that bad nor that good ... hence fine." Kaito groaned. Takeshi sighed as he tapped on the table with his fingers.

"What's new with Ushio then?" He wondered.

"Not much, she's got a boyfriend now. I didn't really ask about much else." Kaito let out yet another sighed, "They were mainly asking me questions."

"So, how do you feel about her having a boyfriend?" Takeshi asked as he stared at his friend.

"I don't feel anything towards it."

"Right ... I forgot you're devoid of all emotion," Takeshi scoffed.

"Piss off, I really don't wanna talk about it," Kaito sneered as he stood up and walked through the archway that lead to the living room. Takeshi followed him through; he spoke just before Kaito reached his bedroom door that stood at the other end of the room.

"You're still going tomorrow right?" Takeshi asked. Kaito stood still, turning to face Takeshi he nodded.

"You're still driving me right?"

"Course man," Takeshi smiled.

"Okay," nodded Kaito.

"You don't have to them anything you don't want to but just try okay?"

"I will," Kaito replied as he turned back around and entered his room, closing the door behind him. Takeshi looked on at the closed door.

"I hope you'll be okay man," he uttered as he turned away and moved back into the kitchen to continue his cooking.

* * *

><p>"And then, I broke up with her. She didn't really say anything though ... she just left. That's always bothered me to be honest." Kaito muttered, "That's it really." The doctor looked on at Kaito in disbelief.<p>

"That's a lot for one person to go through," the man said. Kaito nodded as he reached into his pocket.

"Sorry but I really need a smoke," Kaito stated as he took a cigarette packet out as well as a a lighter.

"You can't smoke in here."

"What?" Kaito muttered as he held a cigarette in his mouth.

"You can't smoke in here, it's against the law."

"Since when?"

"Since about 2010," the doctor retorted. Kaito took the cigarette out of his mouth and placed it back into the packet. "First off, I'm going to recommend that you try and quit that as soon as possible. It won't be helping you at all."

"It's just a bit of smoke," Kaito replied.

"I'd strongly recommend it."

"I guess I could try and cut down," Kaito said with a sigh.

"Look, I'm going to be honest with you Mr. Sakumoto-"

"Kaito, it's just Kaito."

"Alright, Kaito," the doctor said, "you're quite obviously depressed. Frankly, it's quite amazing how much you've been through, to say how well you've come out of it. You've told me about your parents, your grandmother, and your best friend ... the absolute need you felt to leave your girlfriend. Do you feel that you've ever truly been happy?" Kaito went quiet as he thought for a moment. His eyes met the floor as he looked back on his memories. Flashes of his parents ran through his mind, of his grandmother, of Juni ... of Ushio. He looked back up as he swallowed his breath.

"The only time I truly remember being happy was high school. The first month or so that I was with Ushio ... everything just seemed to be so right, I had my friends ... Ushio, Keshi, Yumi, Kumiko ... Juni." Kaito wiped his eyes. "We were all together, we were all happy and now. Now, I just feel alone," Kaito caught his breath. "I know I'm not. Takeshi has always been there for me ... god knows I owe so much to him. Still, I can't help but feel so helpless ... all the time." The doctor readjusted his glasses before he spoke.

"I think, regarding what you have been through Kaito. Well, I feel that it's a natural response. I think it may also be what is fuelling these nightmares of yours, causing your insomnia."

"They're not nightmares ... at least they didn't start out that way. I've had them for a long time though. It's only now they've been so frequent." Kaito sighed.

"You told me that you've always blamed yourself for what has happened to others. Your parents, your friend, even your grandmother. I think that ... that these dreams are a manifestation of your feelings, the unresolved issues that you have."

"I don't understand how that's possible," uttered Kaito.

"Dreams can be heavily manipulated by feelings and thoughts Kaito. That much has always been clear."

"S-so what do I do?" Kaito asked in a rather worried tone.

"I can recommend something's to you, but ultimately it'll be down to you if you want things to change." Kaito gave a nod. The doctor reached into a draw under his desk. After rummaging for a while through several papers he produced a leaflet and handled it to Kaito. "That's for a self help group; they're for people like you."

"What do they do?" Kaito asked.

"You talk to others who have had the same experiences as yourself. Support each other and help each other." The doctor smiled, "The times are on the back." Kaito turned the leaflet over as he looked over the information. "You need to also help yourself Kaito." The young man looked up. "At the end of the day, only you can truly help yourself. You need to come to terms with your issues and feelings. Reach out to others, find a passion for something."

"I guess that makes sense," Kaito nodded.

"I want you to come and see me every two weeks. Just for check ups and a little chat. I'm going to need to keep and eye on your condition." The doctor stated, Kaito gave him another nod. "If you don't make the appointments I'll be calling in on you okay?"

"Yeah ... I got it," Kaito replied. "Thanks," Kaito said, forcing a smile.

"Your welcome," the man nodded.

"What about the dreams?" Kaito questioned. The man let out a sigh before he spoke.

"There's nothing I can do or give you to help get rid of the dreams. I'm certain they'll diminish as you make progress. However, I can prescribe you some medicine to help you relax, allowing for you to sleep easier. It won't help the dreams but it may be able to give you a full night's sleep. Would that be okay?"

"Yeah," Kaito nodded. The doctor brought out a form and began to fill it out. After signing the form he handed it to Kaito.

"Take that to your chemist, everything should be okay."

"Thank you," Kaito nodded. The doctor returned the nod as he said goodbye to Kaito. Kaito left the office and made his way out into the waiting room.

"Hey," Takeshi said as he saw Kaito come through the door. Standing up, he approached his friend. "How did it go?" Kaito handed Takeshi the leaflet he had received from the doctor. Looking over it, Takeshi spoke. "Shit."

"Yep," Kaito uttered. Takeshi looked back up to Kaito.

"Don't worry man, it's totally normal," smiled Takeshi. The two of them went quiet.

"It's not though is it?" Kaito mumbled. Takeshi gave an uneasy laugh.

"No but, dude, it's going to be okay. I'm here for you okay?" Takeshi smiled.

"Thanks Keshi, that means a lot," Kaito replied. Takeshi gave another smile as he gestured with his head and the two of them left the waiting room. Outside, they made their way over to Takeshi's car and got inside.

"All set?" Takeshi asked.

"Yeah," Kaito replied as he closed his eyes and leant his head on the window. He was ready for home.

**~*52*~**

_**Please, if you are going to write about spoilers in your review, place a spoiler warning at the beginning. If you do not, your review will be removed - Thank you.**_

_**Sorry this one took so long to get out. Uni work piled up. I'll try to get the next chapter out within the next week. :)**_


	53. Femme Fatale?

**~*53*~**

"You're gonna have to make your own way home." Takeshi stated as Kaito stepped out of his friend's car.

"Sure," nodded Kaito as he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket. Taking out his lighter he lit his cigarette, blowing a cloud of smoke out of his mouth.

"Good luck bro."

Kaito closed the door behind him and walked away. As he made his way to the entrance of the local community centre, he heard Takeshi drive off in the distance, leaving him alone.

* * *

><p>"Fu-Chan to the rescue!" Fuko yelled as she zipped down the busy street.<p>

"Fu-Chan wait up!" Ushio cried as she ran after her friend. Fuko stopped at a shop window. Looking in, past her reflection, she saw heaps of stuffed animals and plushies.

"So cute!" Fuko said in awe. A tired Ushio came up to her side, gasping for breath.

"Fu-Chan, you can't keep running off like that." She uttered.

"Don't worry little sister, Fu-Chan will protect you!"

"You also don't have to keep shouting everything," Ushio added with a laugh. "Oh, and what's happened to your I's?"

"Fu- ... I forget when I'm excited," admitted Fuko.

"That's okay," smiled Ushio as she readjusted the bag that was over her shoulder. "Why are you excited this time?"

"In here! Look at all the cute little animals!" Ushio peered inside the shop window. As Fuko had said, there were a lot of animals inside, stuffed animals. Ushio thought for a moment.

"I think I know this place," she stated. She felt a smile form across her face as she turned to face Fuko. "Kaito and I came here once."

"That weird guy?" Fuko asked. Ushio chuckled as she gave a nod. She returned her gaze back through the window. The shop was just as she remembered. A large pile of plushies sat there, a mountain atop a table. Shelves covered the walls, again, covered in stuffed animals and toys. "Do you think about him?" Fuko wondered as she looked to Ushio with her bright eyes. Ushio continued to peer through the window as she pressed her forehead against it. Turning to face Fuko, she spoke.

"Not a lot, not anymore." Ushio brought her head away from the window. "Why?"

"I just liked him is all," Fuko smiled. Ushio shrugged as she placed her hands in her trouser pockets.

"I'm sure you'll like Satoru when you meet him," Ushio stated. Fuko smiled again as she gave a nod.

"Yes, I'm sure I will."

* * *

><p>"So, ever since then I haven't been able to look her in the eye ... it's like a great weight is on me, holding me down." Kaito sat in a circle of chairs with several other people. A rather large man had finished speaking as a slender, straight postured man with bright red hair leant forward in his seat.<p>

"Thank you for that Goro," the man smiled. He took a look around the room as his eyes settled on Kaito. "We have a new member ... Kaito Sakumoto was it?" He asked. Kaito gave a wince.

"Kaito is fine."

"Okay," the man smiled, "Kaito it is."

"Hello Kaito," a few of the other members said in sync. Kaito gave an annoyed nod.

"So what do you think?"

"About what?" Kaito asked, looking towards the red headed man.

"About Goro's problem," the man stated.

"Does it matter what I think?" Kaito asked as he caught Goro looking at him.

"Well, we're all here to talk and to help each other." Kaito let out a sigh at the man's words.

"Well Goro, you've been cheating on your wife so I guess ... the first step would be, I don't know, to stop cheating on your wife?" Kaito suggested in a sarcastic manner. "Maybe then you'll start to feel better about yourself."

* * *

><p>Takeshi made his way up the tidy garden that lay in front of him. It was filled to the brim with flower beds and small trees, it was a rather pleasant sight. He gave a smile as he walked through it, taking a breath of fresh air which was quite different from the usual busy streets of Hikarizaka. As he reached the front door of the house that the garden belonged to he gave a knock. A few seconds later the door opened and their stood Takeshi's father, Marcus. "Takeshi," he smiled, "I didn't know you were coming."<p>

"Thought I'd stop by," Takeshi replied, returning the smile. Marcus chuckled as he ran his fingers through his greying hair.

"It's a little out of the way isn't it?"

"Well, I just wanted to see you," Takeshi replied as he gave a shrug.

"Ah, I see," Marcus said with a beaming smile. "Well, come on then, come in!" Marcus gestured for his son to enter, Takeshi did as stepped inside and slipped off his shoes, closing the door behind him.

* * *

><p>Kaito stood outside the community centre. His self help group had taken a break after Kaito's comments to a few of the other members. He brought a cigarette up to his mouth as he sucked in a cloud of smoke. He held it there, looking out across the street that was opposite him. It wasn't very busy, in fact there was a cold breeze that blew over Kaito which made the area seem even more desolate. "Well, your first day's going well." Kaito shot around as the cloud of smoke left his mouth. A woman stood in front of him, a rather tall, slender woman. She had her dark hair tied up, the colour of which matched her dark eye shadow as well as the coarse attire she wore. She looked at Kaito with piercing, green eyes. "Are you going to hand me one of those?" The woman asked rhetorically. Without speaking, Kaito pulled another cigarette out of the packet that sat in his pocket. Handing it over to the woman, she placed it in her mouth as she motioned with her hand for Kaito to light it. Taking out his lighter he held it to the tip of her cigarette as he flicked the switch. A few puffs of smoke came out of the end as Kaito brought the lighter away and the woman took the substance back, holding it in her throat as Kaito had. She opened her lips as it left her mouth, catching Kaito's gaze she spoke again. "Are you going to say anything?" She asked in a rather dominant voice. Kaito studied the woman for a moment. She had a rather arrogant demeanour, seeming overly confident and callous. This woman was quite attractive yet there was also something rather off putting about her, Kaito didn't quite know what to make of her. Finally, Kaito spoke.<p>

"Dunno," he shrugged. Taking another draw of his cigarette, he tapped the end of it, letting the ash fall to the ground.

"Well, you're fun."

"I wouldn't be here if I was," Kaito scoffed.

"That's not true." The woman shook her head as a few strands of hair swayed about. "I'm fun and I come here."

"Then what's wrong with you?" Kaito asked, narrowing his gaze. The woman gave a curious look. A mischievous smile came over her face as she spoke.

"They say I'm bi-polar ... d'you know what that means?"

"You're happy half the time, then the other half you're not?"

"Sure, if you want to put it in the most simplest and stupidest terms." She gave a slight sigh.

"Uhuh," uttered Kaito as he dropped his cigarette to the floor, putting it out beneath his foot.

"My name's Rin."

"Kaito-"

"I know," she nodded. "You're the talk of town, well support group or whatever you want to call it. You were on fire in there!"

"Good to know," Kaito nodded, he let out a sigh.

"So, what did they say was wrong with you?" Rin questioned as she raised an eyebrow.

"My doctor said I was depressed."

"But you don't buy it, right?" Rin asked with a smirk.

"What do you mean?" Kaito wondered.

"Well, they tell us all kinds of things, try to define us. Really, they know just as little about us as we do."

"That doesn't make any sense," retorted Kaito.

"Why should things make sense? That would be boring."

"Well, I guess that makes sense," Kaito chuckled. Rin smiled at him.

"You see? You're not depressed, depressed people aren't allowed to smile right?"

"If you say so," Kaito nodded.

"I do say so." Rin gave Kaito another smile, one that Kaito returned. "It's a load of bull, isn't it?"

"The support group?" Kaito wondered.

"Yep," Rin smiled as she let the ash drop from the end of her cigarette. Placing the cigarette back into her mouth; she rolled up the sleeves or her black cardigan. "See?" She mumbled. Kaito looked down at her arms, several scars covered her skin, more so near her wrists. Kaito didn't reply, he merely nodded at the woman. Rin pulled her sleeves back down. "A lot of people here don't know what real suffering is. They come with their problems but they're an easy fix compared to people like us."

"Us?" Kaito questioned. Rin gave a nod and dropped her cigarette to the floor; putting it out with her heeled boots in a similar fashion to Kaito.

"I can tell what you've been through, well, the gist of it anyway."

"And what's that?" Kaito asked, truthfully rather curious.

"You've lost people right? People you care about ... people you love?" She said, giving a weak smile. Kaito let out a sigh, without hesitating he gave a sharp nod. She mimicked Kaito's sigh before she spoke. "Me too."

* * *

><p>"We don't have to go in!" Fuko announced as she and Ushio were debating whether or not to enter the shop full of toys.<p>

"Fu-Chan," Ushio began; placing the palm of her hand to her face. "We've been stood here for ten minutes, I've said we can so let's go."

"Are you sure it won't bring up too many memories?" Fuko asked, looking up to her friend.

"For the hundredth time, no," sighed Ushio.

"Okay, if _you_ say so!" Fuko sang, emphasising the 'you'. She plodded along, swaying her arms by her side with a smile on her face.

* * *

><p>Marcus came through the kitchen's archway as he sat a pot of tea and two cups down onto the table. Taking a seat across from his son he poured out two cups, adding milk from a small jug he had brought in earlier. "The gardens looking nice," Takeshi smiled.<p>

"Thanks, it keeps me busy while Takato is out of the house."

"Where is he anyway?"

"Out with Yuki, hopefully popping the question."

"You think he's going to do it soon?" Takeshi questioned, looking on at his father's still smiling face.

"I do, they've been together for nearly three years." Marcus took a sip of his tea as he finished speaking.

"That's not that long though is it? I mean, not long enough to get married right?" Marcus placed his cup down.

"People are ready at different times, you know how fond he is of her."

"Yeah, I know."

"And she's a wonderful girl, your mother thinks so too."

"You've been speaking again?" Takeshi asked rather curiously as he raised an eyebrow.

"We're happy being friends, it's a lot easier since both you and Takato have grown up," he replied.

"Well, I'm glad." Takeshi gave a smile as he slouched back in his chair, letting out a sigh.

"What's troubling you kid?" Marcus asked. "Is it Kaito?" Takeshi gave a weak smile at his father.

"How did you know?" Takeshi uttered, Marcus gave a shrug.

"The last time you came and saw me you said he was getting worse ... I'm guessing he isn't any better?" Marcus wondered.

"No, we went to the doctors the other day. He got recommended to a self-help group."

"They're making him go to one?"

"No, he doesn't have to but the doctor called me, wanted me to make sure he did."

"I see ..." Marcus mumbled. Takeshi let out a cough.

"Is there something wrong with him going to one?" Takeshi asked.

"Well no, of course not. It's just ..."

"What?" Takeshi asked.

"I went to a lot through my rehabilitation. It helped, don't get me wrong but the way I felt when I was there, it was awful."

"Really? ... They said Kaito was depressed, not that I didn't know that but a doctor saying it kind of makes it different don't you think?"

"Yes, Kaito most likely feels low as it is, now he has to sit in a circle and listen to others talk about their problems when he doesn't know how to fix his own. It's not a good feeling, trust me on that." Marcus sighed.

"I really worry about him," Takeshi replied as he leant forward and grasped his cup of tea.

"I know you do," nodded Marcus. Takeshi took a sip of the warm liquid. As he swallowed, he placed the cup back on to the wooden surface of the table and kept his hand on it. He traced his thumb around the rim as he spoke.

"I'm scared dad," admitted Takeshi.

"You don't think Kaito will ... well-"

"What?"

"Give up?" Marcus asked. Takeshi shook his head.

"No, no I'm not scared of that. Kaito might be at his lowest point right now but there's no way ... he wouldn't!" Takeshi replied as he raised his tone. Marcus gave a nod as Takeshi gave a deep breath.

"Are you okay?" His father asked.

"Yeah," nodded Takeshi, "yeah I'm fine."

"So ... why are you scared son?" Marcus asked. Takeshi looked to his father as he spoke.

"I-I'm scared that ... that there's going to be a point where I can't take it anymore. Where I just don't want to deal with him anymore. I don't want that to happen." He began to rub his eyes. Marcus thought for a moment, trying to come up with something useful to say, something to make his son feel better.

"It's a good thing that you're scared Takeshi," he said. Takeshi brought his hands down from his face.

"Why's that?"

"It means you're less likely to do it." Marcus gave his son a smile as Takeshi nodded. The two sat there as they continued to drink their tea. Takeshi was scared, he didn't want to admit it but deep down, he knew he couldn't take life as it was any longer; things had to change.

* * *

><p>Inside the shop, Fuko and Ushio stood in front of the large pile of toys which Fuko had seen through the widow. Her eyes lit up as she saw a pointed toy towards the top of the pile. "Starfish!" She chirped, rushing towards the mountain of toys, ready for the climb towards her prize.<p>

"Fu-Chan wait," Ushio laughed as she followed her friend. Fuko came up to the pile as she stretched up towards. Just then, in that moment, a figure leapt out from inside the pile of toys, cackling. Fuko fell back with a cry as Ushio stood there, laughing. The figure who they now knew to be an old man, looked down to Fuko who was now lying on the floor. He held a wrinkled smile.

"Hello dear, sorry if I scared you," the man chuckled.

"T-that's okay," Fuko uttered. The old man placed out a shrivelled hand as Fuko grabbed it. He summoned all of his strength and pulled the girl up from the floor. The man looked to Ushio as he gave another smile.

"It's been a while since you entered my shop. How're you?" The man asked.

"You remember me?" Ushio questioned, rather surprised.

"I never forget a customer's face," the man chuckled.

"Right," nodded Ushio. She returned the man's smile. "I'm fine thank you."

"And the young man?" He asked. Ushio paused for a moment, realising the man meant Kaito.

"He's fine," Ushio smiled. Fuko gave a slight cough and then spoke.

"Could I buy that starfish now please?" Fuko asked, looking to the man. He gave another laugh as he spoke.

"I actually have a lot more of those. I'll be one minute." The man turned and left the room. Fuko turned to Ushio.

"Little sister, you know him?"

"Not really, we met ... once." The old man came back into the room holding a large box.

"Take a look in here," he smiled, placing the box on a counter top, it also held a rather old till. Fuko and Ushio came over. The old man opened the box, revealing its contents.

"Ah!" Fuko said as she became entranced by the masses of starfish toys that lay inside the box.

"Fu-Chan?" Ushio muttered. It was no use however, Fuko was completely in awe of the five pointed plushies.

"Is she okay?" The old man asked. Ushio gave a nod.

"You don't have a juice carton by any chance?"

"I think I may have a few in the kitchen." The old man smiled. Ushio gave a mischievous grin.

"Would it be okay if I had one?"

"Of course!" After a moment or two, the old man returned and handed the carton of juice to Ushio. Thanking the man, she looked on at Fuko. Giving a smile she placed the carton's straw up her nose and gaze a squeeze. It took Fuko a second to snap out of her daze, as she did, Ushio quickly hid the drink carton out of sight.

"My nose feels funny!" Fuko uttered as she rubbed her wet nose. Ushio began to chuckle to herself as the old man looked on the two of them, utterly unsure of what had just happened.

* * *

><p>The meeting had come to an end as Kaito made his way out of the front doors of the community centre. He let the door go behind him when someone caught it. "Hey," they uttered. Kaito turned around to see Rin, a small smirk was planted on her face. "Here," Rin said as she handed Kaito a piece of paper. There were several digits written on it. Kaito rubbed the stubble that sat on his chin.<p>

"Did you write this down today, or do you always carry this around; handing it out to people?"

"I know you're making a joke but honestly it's the latter."

"Really?" Kaito asked, Rin gave a shrug.

"I like people."

"I see," Kaito nodded.

"But since I'm happy today I probably won't be tomorrow so I guess I'll hate them then, right?"

"Funny," muttered Kaito.

"Maybe you should do some research on people with Bi-Polar Disorder? Or, you could give me a call and we'll talk about it," she chuckled.

"Sure," nodded Kaito. In truth, he did think it was odd for Rin to joke about her problems; she did seem comfortable with it though.

"Are you coming to next week's meeting?" Rin asked, giving a smile. Kaito's eyes widened.

"Yeah," sighed Kaito, "I guess."

"Great, I'll see you then." Rin gave a wave as she turned away and walked over to her car that was parked on the side of the road. As she got inside her car she rolled her window down, sticking her head out in Kaitos's direction. "Catch you later!" She yelled before driving off. Kaito stood there, wondering what had just happened to him, he didn't particularly care yet it still alluded him. Giving a sigh, he placed the piece of paper in his pocket and strolled along the road, away from the community centre.

* * *

><p>"Did we really have to buy all of them?" Ushio ask as she and Fuko made their way to the Okazaki's front door.<p>

"Of course, now all of these starfish have a home."

"Well, don't open the bag or you'll get into one of those trances again," Ushio laughed.

"That's not true!"

"Sure." Ushio and Fuko approached the door, opening it, the two stepped inside.

"Are Nagisa and Tomoya in?" Fuko asked as the two were taking off their shoes.

"Should be," nodded Ushio. They made their way into the living room as Ushio spoke out. "Mom, dad, we're hom-" Ushio went quiet. In the living there sat Nagisa, Tomoya and one other person. A man sat with them. he was rather good looking with a maroon tint to his hair. He had piercing green eyes and was rather well built.

"Hey," he said with a smile.

"Satoru?" Ushio uttered. Satoru got up from the sofa and moved over to Ushio. "You're not supposed to be here for another two weeks," Ushio said with an uneasy laugh.

"I thought I'd surprise you," he smiled as he gave her a squeeze. As the two embraced, Ushio looked past Satoru and on at the face of her father, a rather annoyed Tomoya Okazaki.

**~*53*~**

_**Please, if you are going to write about spoilers in your review, place a spoiler warning at the beginning. If you do not, your review will be removed - Thank you.**_

_- Proofread by Hernobleness._

**_** Just as a quick note, I will have finished my first year of University this Friday. This, of course, means more time for writing! I'll be back to regular updates (Thank god) for at least a good couple of months. Get ready for some progress! Atleast one chapter a week, I super duper pinky promise! ^_^' _**


	54. An Unconventional Outing

**~*54*~**

Tomoya, Nagisa, Fuko, Ushio and Satoru all sat in the Okazaki's living room. They were sat on the large, comfy sofas that filled the room however, Tomoya was anything but comfortable. He was never really sure why but since the day he met Satoru he had always put off by the young man. The other four were discussing the day that Ushio and Satoru had met. "So yeah, I just knocked on the door, it opened and there she was." Satoru smiled, "I knew then we were going to end up together."

"Oh, how sweet," Nagisa said with a pleasant smile.

"Mom, you've heard this story before. You don't have to act like that," Ushio stated, giving a roll with her eyes.

"It's still a sweet story Ushio." Her mother replied, giving a slight scowl. Satoru let out a cough, announcing himself before he spoke.

"That's okay honey," Tomoya winced at the man's words. "I was telling Fuko here, right?" Satoru laughed as he look to the small girl that sat opposite him. Fuko didn't reply, she merely gave a narrow stare as if she were a small, curious animal. Tomoya ran a hand through his dark hair.

"Okay," he said as he stood up. "Who wants a cup of tea?"

"Fuko does!" Fu-Chan beamed. Tomoya gave a smile.

"Fu-Chan..." Ushio uttered. Fuko looked to her 'little sister'.

"_I_ would please..." Fuko corrected herself. Ushio nodded at the girl.

"Anyone else?" Tomoya asked.

"I'll make them," Satoru stated as he too rose from the sofa. Tomoya gave a weak smile.

"No, no. That's fine."

"Honestly Tomoya, don't worry, I'll do it." Satoru chuckled. Tomoya, rather forcefully, shook his head.

"No." Tomoya didn't know what was wrong, it was only tea. Still, he felt the need to stand his ground on such a matter.

"I insist To-"

"Honestly kid, I'm more than capable of making tea!" Tomoya stated in an agitated manner.

"Tomoya!" Nagisa scolded. Satoru and Tomoya went quiet.

"Honestly, Satoru, just let my dad make the tea." Ushio said as she a Fuko looked on.

"Sorry," uttered Tomoya as he turned and made his way into the hallway.

"Sit back down sweetie," Nagisa smiled as she looked at Satoru, gesturing towards the empty space next to Ushio. "Tomoya's just been under a lot of stress with work lately, and I think he was a little overwhelmed with everything today."

"Oh, okay." Satoru nodded, "I understand." He took a seat next to Ushio who shared a worried look with her mother. Nagisa turned and followed Tomoya through to the kitchen.

"What was that about?" Nagisa asked as she entered the kitchen, finding a disgruntled Tomoya stood over a boiling pot of water.

"What?"

"Why were you being so rude to Satoru?" Nagisa asked, folding her arms. Tomoya gave a sharp look.

"I wasn't it's just-"

"Just what?" Nagisa questioned. Tomoya went quiet as Nagisa raised an eyebrow.

"He's a little pushy isn't he?" Tomoya uttered.

"It's only tea-"

"No, Nagisa. It's not the tea." Tomoya said sternly, raising his voice slightly.

"They'll hear," Nagisa stated. Tomoya sighed as he gave a nod.

"He's arrived two weeks before he was supposed to."

"It was a surprise-"

"It's disrespect." Tomoya interrupted. "Ushio has her high school reunion next week, is he going to go to that?"

"I don't know."

"Of course you don't. He just turned up, no warning." They both went quiet as the teapot began to whistle loudly, filling the room with steam. Grabbing a towel, Nagisa moved past Tomoya and removed the pot from the hob of the oven. She moved towards the kitchen's exit as she stopped.

"Serve the tea Tomoya, we can talk later." Tomoya gave a nod as Nagisa left. He turned and began to prepare the tea.

* * *

><p>"Well, I'm glad to see you're doing okay." The doctor said as he peered down his nose at the dark haired man. Kaito looked back at him as he gave a sigh.<p>

"Yep."

"I hope you'll keep attending the support group Kaito."

"I'll try." Kaito replied, he wasn't very fond of being in the doctor's office. "Are we done?" The doctor gave a nod in response as he smiled.

"I'll see you soon," he said with a warm chuckle. Kaito gave a nod as he left the room. On the other side of the door was the waiting room. Kaito made his way out of the office and looked over to his left. Takeshi was sat down on one of the chairs that flooded the room. He wasn't alone however. Aside him sat a rather beautiful red headed girl. They were talking between themselves, admittedly it was Takeshi doing more of the talking. Kaito approached as he spoke, trying to sound as nice as possible.

"Keshi, I'm done." He uttered. Takeshi looked up, he then looked back to the woman and back to Kaito again.

"Kaito this is-" Takeshi stopped for a moment, "Rima?" The woman gave a slight nod. She smiled.

"Hey," she said as she looked to Kaito. Kaito didn't acknowledge her.

"Come on man." Kaito said as he turned and made for the exit. Takeshi rolled his eyes as he turned to the woman again.

"Sorry, gotta run," he said, darting away from his chair and following Kaito out of the building.

* * *

><p>The two of them sat in Takeshi's car. Kaito leant his head against the window as he watched the world fly past him. The window was rolled down ever so slightly, allowing the breeze to ruffle the top of Kaito's hair. Takeshi's eyes were fixed on the road in front of him. He kept both of his hand on the wheel, only removing one to change the radio station which Kaito ultimately turned off.<p>

A short while later the two pulled up at the front of their apartment block. As Takeshi switched the engine off they unbuckled their seat belts and stepped out of the car. "I'm gonna head straight up," Kaito uttered as he let the car door close on itself. "I need a shower."

"Yeah, I need to check the mail anyway." Kaito nodded as he turned and began to walk away. "You still going out with that girl tonight?" Takeshi asked with a slight grin on his face.

"Yeah," Kaito nodded as he turned back around. Brought his hands to rest in his jacket pockets. "It's not a date or anything though."

"Uhuh." Takeshi nodded.

"It's not," Kaito said dryly. "We're just going for something to eat. It'll probably be the most awkward experience in my life, I don't know her."

"Well, get to know her." Takeshi replied. Kaito nodded as he turned and headed towards the door of the blocks reception. Takeshi locked the car as he followed on behind.

A young lady sat at the front desk of the reception area. Her eyes were a clear blue and she had a bronze tint to her short hair. A tattoo sat on the right side of her neck, it featured a small fairy like creature. Behind her was a large wall full of small mail boxes. As she stared down at the desk, trying to figure out a crossword that lay in front of her, she heard the front door open as a little bell rang. Her head shot up as she saw Kaito make his way towards the flight of stairs that sat over to her left. Takeshi then came through the door straight after and the bell rang again. His endearing, green eyes fell on the woman as he mad his way over, sporting a rather mischievous grin. "Hey Sakura." He chuckled.

"Hey Takeshi," she replied. She leant on the top of the desk slightly as she placed the top of her pen in her mouth. "How're you?"

"Good," he nodded. "Just wondering what you have for me today." She raised an eyebrow at him. Smiling, she slowly turned around and walked over to the wall behind her. She came to a number: 5B. Opening the little hatch that was on the wall she put her hand inside. After a moment she rough her hand out which grasped an envelope.

"There's one, you're lucky." She laughed, Takeshi smiled as she approached him. "Here you go." Takeshi took the envelope from her, he tore it open and looked on at its contents. "What is it? A love letter of some kind?" She jested. Takeshi looked up at her.

"You wish," he winked. She gave a slight blush. Takeshi shrugged her off as he spoke. "It's the tickets for the reunion this Friday night."

"Oh right. Did you tell Kaito yet?" She asked. Takeshi shook his head.

"I thought I'd just drag him there on the night, no point in arguing about it right?" The woman chuckled at his remark. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke.

"Did he really hate high school that much?" Sakura questioned as she leant back over the desk again.

"Nah, well-" Takeshi stopped for a moment. "A lot of good and bad things happened while we were in high school is all."

"I see," she nodded. Takeshi folded the tickets as he placed them in the pocket of his jeans.

* * *

><p>Making his way through the door of the apartment and into the kitchen, Takeshi met with Kaito as he was making his way out of the shower. He could just see him through the archway that lead to the living room, the bathroom lay to the right of it. "That was quick," Takeshi said as he leant on the arch. Kaito had a towel wrapped around his waist as his wet hair dripped on to the carpet beneath him.<p>

"Not really, you were down there quite a while talking to Sakura."

"Was I? Didn't notice." Takeshi laughed. Kaito stuck a finger in his ear as he shook it in an attempt to let the water out of it.

"Why don't you just get with her and get it over with?" Kaito asked in a cold manner.

"It's not like that man."

"Then what's it like?" Kaito wondered. Takeshi rubbed the back of his head as he gave an uneasy laugh.

"She's someone I see nearly every day and she's a nice girl. I don't want to ruin it."

"That's fair," Kaito nodded. Takeshi shrugged.

"Anyway, you better finish getting ready for your date." He chuckled. Kaito sighed as he turned towards his bedroom.

"It's not a date!" He yelled as he slammed the door behind him.

"Sure it's not," Takeshi uttered as he too moved over to his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

* * *

><p>"So, what are you ordering?" Rin asked as she sat opposite Kaito. Rin wore a rather dark blouse along with a shabby skirt and shoes. Kaito sported his usual attire, a red shirt under his black jacket. They were sat in a small diner of sorts. It was located within the shopping district, a rather busy hub for all of Hikarizaka. The diner's walls were covered in pictures of all kinds, people, places even pets. As Kaito sat opposite the woman, he browsed through the laminated menu, sighing at the limited choice.<p>

"Well, there's not a lot to go on."

"Then let's pick something weird." Rin replied. Kaito raised an eyebrow at her.

"Like what?"

"I don't know, take your pick!" Kaito brought his weary eyes back down to the menu as he continued to browse the few meals that the diner offered.

* * *

><p>Takeshi stood in front of the oven's hob, stirring a simmering pot. He wore his favourite apron, a barely covered girl was printed on it, holding a giant wooden spoon with the words 'Stir it up' written underneath. He had always found it amusing, Kaito had never understood the joke. He began to hum a small tune to himself as he reached over to his case of herbs that sat on the counter. Grabbing a small box, he opened it and sprinkled some over the pot. He went to grab another hand full as something in his pocket began to vibrate. Putting the box of herbs back down, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. An unknown number appeared on the caller ID. Shrugging it off, Takeshi turned down the heat on the oven and swiped the touch screen on his phone. Bringing it up to his ear he spoke. "Hello?"<p>

"Takeshi?" The voice asked in a gentle tone.

"Yep, speaking. Who's this?" Takeshi wondered, he continued stirring his pot.

"It's Ushio." The voice replied. Takeshi's face lit up.

"Ushio?! Hey, long time no speak!" He chuckled.

"Yeah," Ushio laughed, "did you delete my number or something?"

"What? Oh, no. New phone, same number."

"Okay, good ... I was beginning to think I didn't have any friends left here." She replied.

"Nah, don't be silly!" Takeshi smiled, not that Ushio could see it of course. "So anyway how're you?"

"Great thanks, yourself?"

"Yeah, not bad."

"What have you been up to for the past, what is it, two years maybe since we last spoke?"

"God, I'm not sure. If so then I can't believe it's been so long!"

"I know!" Ushio chirped, "so come on, fill me in." Takeshi thought for a moment.

"Well, nothing huge really. I mean, I'm doing pretty well with work at the moment."

"Really?" Ushio asked, surprised by the notion of Takeshi even having a job, the young boy she used to know would have never stood for such a thing.

"Yeah, my work is looking to put me through a college course. I could be looking at a head chef's position in the future."

"That's amazing Takeshi, I'm so happy for you!" Ushio beamed.

"Thanks," Takeshi said, trying to fight a grin.

"I'm glad you're finally embracing your talents." She laughed. Takeshi was dazed for a moment.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, it's just you used to get embarrassed by the whole cooking thing didn't you?" Ushio asked, remembering the cake Takeshi had once baked for her mother.

"I guess. That's only cos' Yumi and that teased me a bit." He scoffed.

"Speaking of, have you heard from her at all?"

"Not for a while now. I guess we all kinda lost touch after high school right?"

"Well, the circumstances when we left weren't exactly the best." Ushio admitted. Takeshi let out a sigh.

"I know. Hey, Yumi will probably be at the reunion anyway, maybe Kumi as well. Could be a nice catch up." Takeshi stated.

"I'm not sure about Kumi. The last time I spoke to her, and that was a while ago, she was up for an internship somewhere in London. She doesn't finish University until July or so either." Ushio let out a sigh. "I doubt she'll be back for it."

"That makes sense." Takeshi uttered. He noticed the contents of his pan had begun to bubble, he made a few quick stirs as he took it off its hob.

"Since you bring up the reunion, there's something I was wanting to talk to you about." Ushio stated.

"What's that?"

"You and Kaito are definitely going right?" Ushio questioned.

"Of course, it might be a bit of struggle getting him there but I'll do it." Takeshi gave a slight cough. "Any mention of high school these days and Kaito get's a bit weird."

"He didn't seem so bad when I saw him last."

"Dunno then, maybe seeing you perked him up a bit."

"I doubt it," Ushio laughed. "So yeah, what I was wanting to say was, well, I'm bringing someone along to the reunion."

"Your boyfriend?" Takeshi asked.

"So Kaito told you?"

"Pretty much." Takeshi gave a chuckle. "I thought only graduated students could go though?"

"Kouko managed to pull a few strings for me."

"Helps to have friends in high places I guess." Takeshi jested.

"Right," Ushio laughed. "Well, I was just wanting to let you know and I see if you could tell Kaito before we actually go?" She became rather uneasy. "I just don't want Kaito to think that I'm, you know, rubbing his face in it or anything."

"Sure I'll tell hi-"

"I mean, he showed up two weeks earlier than he was supposed to, I didn't intend to bring him along, I-"

"Ushio, I said I would," Takeshi interrupted.

"Oh, right. Sorry Takeshi."

"Ushio, are you okay?" Takeshi asked in a concerned voice.

"I'm fine, it's nothing really." She assured him. "Anyway, I have to go. I'll see you at the reunion okay?"

"Sure, see you there." Takeshi nodded as the two said their goodbyes. He hung up the phone and placed it back into his pocket. He brought the pan back on to its hob and turned the heat back. "More drama." He muttered to himself as he continued to cook his dinner.

* * *

><p>Kaito and Rin were still sat across from each other at their table. There was a waitress stood beside them, waiting for their order. "Hurry up," groaned Kaito as Rin peered over the menu.<p>

"One minute," Rin mumbled. The waitress gave a slight sigh. "Okay, frosted cornflakes please." Rin smiled. The waitress nodded as she looked to Kaito. Kaito gave a distasteful look to Rin. He sighed before he spoke.

"You know what, I'll just have a glass of water." The waitress rolled her eyes as she took the menus from them and made her way to the kitchen.

"Why did you only order water?" Rin asked in an agitated manner.

"You ordered cereal. Of all things cereal? Really?"

"I like cereal." Rin stated, folding her arms.

"No one in Japan likes cereal, it sucks." Kaito hissed.

"I live in Japan, I like cereal," she replied. Kaito rubbed his forehead.

"Why the hell does this place even serve cereal?"

"That's why I like it here. They have things that other places don't." Kaito brought his head down to the table and let it rest there. "It's weird here, I guess that's why you intrigue me."

"Are you calling me weird?" Kaito mumbled against the table top.

"Don't take offense, it's a compliment."

"I feel like I've had this conversation before," Kaito stated as his head rose up, locking eyes with Rin. Her heavy eye shadow let her bright green eyes light up. He hesitated for a moment. "At least you're consistent."

"I'm really not."

"Yeah, I didn't know what to say to be honest." Just then, the waitress returned carrying a tray. "Oh, you're tasty dinner is here."

"One frosted cornflakes," the waitress said, placing the bowl down. "Here's your milk," she added, handing a small jug to Rin.

"Thanks."

"Your water." Kaito gave a nod as he took the water from her.

"Enjoy," the waitress smiled as she turned and walked away. Rin poured the milk onto her cereal as Kaito held up his glass.

"Cheers then." Kaito took as sip of his water as Rin dipped her spoon into her bowl, bringing a spoonful of cereal up to her mouth. "Does it even taste nice?" Kaito asked as Rin chewed her food. She shrugged, swallowing her food.

"Sometimes we have to do things we don't like right?"

"That really doesn't apply here."

"It can, if I want it to." Rin retorted.

"Sure." Kaito sighed, Rin gave a smirk as she spoke.

"It does taste pretty good to be honest."

"Really?" Kaito asked, truthfully rather curious. Rin smiled as she reached over to a mug that sat on their table. It housed several knives, spoons, forks and a few packaged chopsticks. Taking out a spoon she offered it to Kaito.

"Care to try some?" Kaito looked at the spoon for a moment, wondering why on earth he was out with this strange girl, in a place where they served cereal. _What have I got myself into?_ He thought to himself. "Come on," she added. "Try something new, take a risk!" Kaito took the spoon from her hand as he tucked it into the bowl of cereal. Bringing it back up to his mouth poured it in, letting the contents cover his taste buds. "Well?"

"It's actually not that bad," Kaito mumbled through his food.

"See?" Rin smiled as Kaito moved in for another spoonful.

* * *

><p>Kaito and Rin has been walking for about ten minutes when she came to a stop. They were outside a small house, it was only a couple of minutes from Kaito's own home. "This is me," Rin said.<p>

"How d'you manage to pay for this?" Kaito blurted out as he saw what was, in his eyes at least, a rather nice house.

"Inheritance, hard work, stealing ... take your pick," Rin chuckled.

"Right," nodded Kaito as he looked on at Rin. Her attire was rather dark, if not for street lamp that illuminated her from above, Kaito would not be able to see her.

"I actually had a nice time tonight." Rin acknowledged. Kaito gave another nod.

"Me too."

"I like you Kaito, I'd like us to be friends if that's okay?" She asked with the slightest hint of innocence.

"Friends? I don't have many of those." Kaito raised his eyebrows. "I'd like that," he stated.

"Good," Rin gave another smile. "I'll see you later then." She turned away and headed for the front door of her house. Kaito watched her enter the house as she gave a final wave.

"See you later buddy," Kaito sighed as he too turned away and began walking; counting the steps towards the place he called his home.

**~*54*~**

**I'm completely finished with University now! Woooooh! So yeah, at least one chapter a week from now on is the promise. I'll keep it! XD **


	55. Reunion: Part I

**~*55*~**

He sat among the fields, looking out upon them. A shining sphere flew past him as he reached out to touch it. As he did a flash of an old friend flew through his mind. "Yumi?" The man uttered. "W-What is this?"

"It's a sign," the boy replied.

"A sign of what?"

"Happiness."

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you brought me here," moaned Kaito as he and Takeshi stood in line. They were waiting to present their tickets so they could enter their old high school; it was the night of their reunion. "I should kill you, I should pull out the gun that's on my waist and shoot you," Kaito said in a sarcastic manner. Several members of the queue turned their heads.<p>

"Shut up man," Takeshi sighed, "People are looking."

"I don't care, you know I don't want to be here."

"Look, it'll be good for you, seeing everyone. Yumi might be here, Mr. Miyagi, Ushio-"

"And her boyfriend?"

"I thought you wasn't bothered about that?" Takeshi asked.

"I'm not."

"Good." Takeshi brushed down the arm of his shirt. They were dressed rather smart. Kaito wore a black shirt with simple, dark pants and shoes. His hair was still a mess. Takeshi wore a white shirt with a light blue tie, dark pants and smart shoes. They moved forward as they began to move closer to the front of the line.

"So, are you excited to see Yumi?" Kaito asked in his usual dry tone. Takeshi gave a sharp look at his friend.

"Are you?" He asked, as if he was caught off guard. Kaito gave a shrug. Letting out a sigh, Takeshi spoke. "Well, yeah I am."

"Awesome," Kaito muttered, giving a deep breath.

* * *

><p>After a short while, the two had presented their tickets at the entrance of the school and had made their way to the main hall. "Still looks the same," Takeshi smiled as entered through the doors. They were greeted with a huge hall full of balloons, tables and chairs. To one side there was a rather large bar that had been setup for the occasion. To the left of this were several long tables full of food and at the opposite end of the hall stood a small stage, below it was the dance floor.<p>

"It has only been three years." Kaito said in reply to Takeshi comment. Takeshi rolled his eyes.

"At least there's a buffet," Takeshi grinned, pointing over to the large tables that sat over to the left of them. Kaito gave a nod as he looked over to the rather large sum of ex-pupils.

"I'm going to go and get a drink ... want anything?"

"Not yet," Takeshi replied.

"Sure," Kaito turned away and made his way over to the bar that sat across the room. Takeshi stood there, admiring the room as he tapped his foot along to the beat of the music that played. As he began to bob his head a bit he heard a voice from behind him.

"Oh god, what are you doing here?" The voice asked. Takeshi turned around, his eyes lit up. There stood a very pretty young woman. She had a bob of violet hair and misty, blue eyes. She was wearing a pale blue dress, with a set of high heels on her feet. Takeshi was stumped for a moment, did he know this girl? Then, it hit him.

"Holy crap, Yumi?!" Takeshi beamed. She nodded as she gave him a big smile. Takeshi moved towards her as they hovered there for a moment. Finally, they gave a slight embrace as they released each other. Yumi brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she grasped the purse in her hand.

"You look different." She noted, fighting her grin.

"Me? Look at your hair!" He laughed. Yumi frowned for a moment.

"Is it bad?"

"No, not at all. I-It looks great," Takeshi smiled.

"Thanks, it must seem like a big change from before right?" She asked.

"Pretty much."

"Is Kaito here with you?" She asked, giving a look around.

"He's at the bar." Takeshi stated, giving a slight gesture with his head. Yumi looked past Takeshi. She could make out a dark haired man sat at the bar, drinking a bottle of beer.

"How is he?" Yumi asked giving a weak smile. Takeshi let out a sigh.

"He's worse some days than others. He's perked up a little bit lately though, so I'm hoping things will start looking up soon."

"I see," Yumi nodded. Takeshi shrugged his shoulders as he spoke.

"So what have you been up to? How was college?" He asked. Yumi shrugged her shoulders, looking off slightly before he returned her gaze to the man in front of her.

"Not all that it's cracked up to be."

"So drama wasn't as good as you thought?" Takeshi wondered.

"I didn't like the people I was with, the people I would end up working with ... that kind of industry. I don't know, it wasn't for me as it turned out." Yumi gave a warm chuckle. "I changed to music production half way through my first year."

"And how was that?"

"I loved it," Yumi smiled. "I went about quite a lot, into Tokyo and places like that. It was amazing."

"That's great Yumi," Takeshi beamed, he then went quiet for a brief moment. "So, I guess you're only back for the reunion and to see your family?"

"Actually I'm looking for a place here, in town." Yumi replied. Takeshi's eyes lit up.

"Really? Well, we'll definitely need to catch up sometime!" Yumi let out a laugh at her friend.

"Isn't that what we're doing right now?" She questioned. Takeshi fiddled with the end of his sleeve.

"I meant properly," he noted.

"Just you and me?"

"Sure."

"I'd like that," Yumi nodded as Takeshi gave a smile. He glanced over to Kaito. He was holding his fingers up and looking towards the bartender; motioning for another drink. Takeshi turned back to face Yumi.

"Do me a favour?" He asked.

"Sure," nodded Yumi.

"Stay right here, I'll just go fetch Kaito okay?" Takeshi said, giving an uneasy smile.

"I won't move," she smiled as Takeshi nodded and rushed over to Kaito.

"Another," Kaito uttered as he placed his empty bottle down on the bar. The bartender moved over to a small fridge under the bar. Takeshi came up from behind as he placed his hand on Kaito's shoulder.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, why?" Kaito asked, brushing his friend's hand away. Takeshi leant against the bar, looking head on at Kaito.

"How many have you had?" He asked.

"Four."

"We've only been here five minutes," Takeshi sighed. Kaito rolled his eyes.

"Three back home, one just now and I'm about to be on my fifth if the man would please hurry up." The bartender came back over, giving Kaito a cold look. He placed a bottle of beer in front of him. Kaito handed him a sum of money as he took a sip.

"I thought you were cutting back, drinking isn't exactly supposed to help with your state is it?"

"That's a matter of opinion, I think it does wonders." Kaito scoffed. Takeshi let out another sigh, he gave a look over to Yumi who was speaking with an older man. Takeshi looked back.

"Please, just for tonight. Take it easy Kaito." He gave a warm smile as Kaito looked up to his friend. Giving a nod, Kaito spoke.

"Sure, I'll try and behave I suppose."

"Thanks man, look, Yumi is over there." Takeshi stated, pointing behind them. Kaito turned his head around, rather curiously.

"Where?"

"There, short hair, with that guy."

"She looks different." Acknowledged Kaito.

"Well, a few years and a change of style can do that to you," Takeshi jested, giving a warm smile.

"Right," uttered Kaito. The two made their way over to Yumi, the older man that stood with her gestured towards the two men that were approaching. Yumi turned her head as she gave a wave. Kaito took note of the man, he had straight, dark hair along with a short cut beard. He had a familiar look to him but Kaito couldn't quite place it.

"Kaito!" Yumi smiled as the boys reached her. She placed out her arms as Kaito gave an effortless smile, mimicking her action; the two embraced. "How're you?" She asked as they came apart.

"Fine," nodded Kaito, "Yourself?"

"No complaints," she smiled.

"You two aren't still causing trouble are you?" The dark haired man asked. Kaito and Takeshi gave a strange look at the man besides Yumi. However, in that instant, Takeshi came to his senses.

"Wait, M-Miyagi sensei?"

"The one and only," the man laughed. Takeshi gave an uneasy laugh.

"Holy crap, we didn't recognise you with that beard!" Takeshi chuckled.

"Does it suit me?" Miyagi questioned, rubbing the edge of his chin.

"Very handsome," Takeshi nodded. Kaito let out a cough before he spoke.

"How're you sir?" He asked, rather dryly at that.

"I'm fine Kaito, how have things been for you? It's been quite a while since I've heard from you."

"Up and down," Kaito admitted. "No need to worry," he stated, giving a half-baked smile.

"Well as long as you're okay," the man smiled. Yumi and Takeshi looked at each other, unsure of what to do. "Anyway, there's a few other students I need to greet. I'll catch up with you all later though. I want to hear all about your endeavours and accomplishments!" The man chuckled as he said goodbye to his three ex-pupils. Yumi gave Kaito a light punch on the arm as he looked towards her.

"What have you been up to then?" She asked. Kaito gave a shrug.

"This and that," he stated. Yumi nodded as she clutched her purse again. Takeshi gave a sigh before he spoke.

"Shall we grab a table then? Ushio will probably be here soon."

"Let's get this over with," Kaito yawned as he moved over to the many tables that filled the hall.

* * *

><p>The three were sat down at one of the tables. Takeshi was sipping a small beer, Yumi had a glass of wine sat in front her and Kaito had just returned with another bottle. "What number's that?"<p>

"Six," uttered Kaito and he sat back down. Yumi gave a worried look to Takeshi as he smiled reassuringly in reply.

"It's weird," Takeshi stated.

"What is?" Yumi asked.

"I don't recognise anyone here. Sure there's a few here and there but I don't think I've ever actually spoken to any of them." Takeshi let out a short laugh. "I mean, where's Kenji, Amaya, Mayumi even Sato?"

"It's still early though, I know Ushio is running a little late but still," replied Yumi.

"Yeah, it just makes me think though."

"About?"

"Well, Kumiko isn't coming, she's still in England. What if others have gone as far as she has?"

"Keshi, what are you getting at?" Kaito asked.

"I'm getting at the fact that we're still here."

"But that's okay. It's our choice right?" Yumi asked.

"Yeah," Takeshi nodded.

"I'm happy with what I've done and where I'm hoping to be, aren't you?"

"Of course," Takeshi replied, he gave a sigh.

"I get what you mean," Kaito said. "It feels like some people are just racing ahead, right?"

"Let's just forget about it, I don't even know what I'm talking about." Takeshi chuckled. They went quiet for a moment as Yumi spoke.

"Well, I knew you was a light weight."

"I'm not even drunk," Takeshi replied, the two gave a laugh as Kaito rolled his eyes.

* * *

><p>Ushio stood with Satoru outside of the school's entrance. She wore a dark red, slim dress. Satoru wore a plain, navy blue suit and tie. They had just handed in their tickets and were ready to enter the building. "You're definitely sure it's okay for me to be here?" Satoru asked as he came to a stop. Ushio turned around to face him.<p>

"How many times do I have to say it? Yes." Ushio sighed. Satoru folded his arms as he spoke.

"If you don't want me here then I could do go back to your parent's house."

"Satoru, it's fine. I mean, what did you expect to happen when you arrived two weeks earlier than you were supposed to?" Ushio asked.

"I was just wanting to supri-"

"I know," Ushio gave another sigh. "Look, let's just have fun tonight, okay?" She smiled. "We're here now so stop worrying. You'll get to meet my friends from high school as well."

"Okay, I'll do my best." Satoru nodded. The two continued on, making their way inside the building. Walking down one of the hallways, Ushio came to a stop as a smile cropped over her face. She thought back a few years as she remembered a day when she and Kaito, along with Yumi and Takeshi, had placed up posters for the founders festival. "What is it?" Satoru asked.

"Just memories." Ushio smiled.

"Like what?" He wondered, giving a curious look. Ushio shook her head.

"This and that. Come on, let's get to the main hall." She said as she took Satoru's arm and hurried along through the hallway.

* * *

><p>"He still hasn't asked her yet," stated Takeshi. "My dad reckons Takato's putting it off. I don't know why he thinks that though."<p>

"I see, Yuki sounds nice though. I'm sure she'd say yes if he decides to do it," Yumi smiled.

"Yeah, she's great. She helped Takato through his rehab and that, they're doing pretty good." Takeshi beamed, just then, he had noticed someone approaching from behind Yumi. He tapped Kaito on the shoulder, he had been resting on the table; Kaito looked up. "That her?" Takeshi asked. Kaito's eyes settled on the figure approaching, as he saw the young man walking with her, he sunk his head back down.

"That's her." Kaito confirmed. Yumi spun around as a big grin came over her face.

"Ushio!" She chirped, getting up off of her seat.

"Yumi!" Ushio replied in a similar manner. The two women embraced as they laughed.

"What happened to Koharu?" Yumi asked as they parted. Ushio paused for a moment.

"Oh yeah," she laughed, "I guess you've outgrown it."

"You mean you've outgrown it?" Yumi chuckled.

"That too," Ushio nodded. Turning around, she gestured for Satoru to come closer. "Satoru, this is-"

"Let me guess." He uttered. He pointed to each of the three individually. "Yumi, Takeshi and Kaito?"

"That's right," Yumi laughed.

"How'd you do that?" Takeshi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, Ushio pointed you all out before we got here."

"Oh..." Takeshi remarked, "funny." Takeshi gave a heartened chuckle at the red headed man.

"How're you Takeshi?" Ushio asked, looking on at the two men at the table.

"Great, you?"

"Good," she nodded. "It's nice to see you again Kaito."

"Yeah," Kaito said, giving a slight nod. The group had gone rather quiet before Yumi spoke up.

"Well, it's nice to meet you S-Satoru, was it?"

"That's me," he chuckled.

"Come, sit down with us." Takeshi said. They all took a seat at the table. Satoru had taken a seat to the left of Kaito with Ushio on his left. Satoru gave Kaito a smile, Kaito merely replied with a slight nod. It was safe to say he was rather uncomfortable.

* * *

><p>Yumi, Ushio and Takeshi were sat discussing their ventures of late. Things they had done in their time apart and such. Satoru sat there, listening to them and their stories. Kaito, rather unenthused, sipped his beer. It wasn't until a certain topic was brought up that his attention was caught. "I do miss the old days sometimes though," Yumi said in response to Ushio.<p>

"Yeah, I know. I'd love to be able to go and eat lunch in the club room again, or even just to be able to sit out in the courtyard with everyone." Ushio admitted.

"I think we all took it for granted though didn't we?" Takeshi asked. "We didn't realise how much fun we had until it stopped."

"I suppose you're right." Ushio uttered. Kaito shook his head, surprising himself at his eagerness.

"That's not true." He interrupted. "Ushio, I remember you telling me a long time ago that you were going to miss this. That you loved your time here. I wouldn't call that taking something for granted."

"I did say that," Ushio nodded with a smile.

"I guess we all had to move on from most of those things though," stated Yumi. Kaito gave a sigh as he returned the tip of his beer to his mouth.

"You guys seem like you were a really close group," Satoru said, breaking his silence.

"We were," Takeshi nodded. "The four of us, Kumiko a-"

"And Junichiro right?" Satoru uttered. "Ushio told me what happened." The others went rather quiet. Kaito eyes locked on Ushio as she appeared to have caught off guard by Satoru's words. "I was really sorry to hear about that," Satoru finished, unaware of the wounds he may have just opened.

"Yeah," Takeshi muttered as he gave a quick look to Kaito. "It's the past though, he wouldn't want us to linger on it."

"You're right," Ushio stated, Yumi nodded in agreement. Satoru spoke again, raising glass in the process.

"To your friend Junichiro," Ushio let out a slight sigh before giving a polite smile. She raised her glass.

"To Juni."

"To Juni," Yumi repeated.

"Juni," Takeshi said. Kaito simply tipped his beer towards the air as they all took a sip of their drinks. They sat there, contemplating their thoughts and visiting the memories of their dear friend. This quiet period was cut short though. Kaito took his beer and managed to drink the rest of it at a rapid pace. He forcefully brought the bottle down onto the table before getting up and making his way back over to the direction of the bar. The others watched him walk away as they turned back, looking at each other in an eerie silence.

"Is he okay?" Satoru asked as the others merely remained quiet, knowing full well that their friend was in no way 'okay'.

**~*55*~**

**I have no right to excuses, I'll give you that.**

**Something came up the other week that caused me a lot of stress. There were some issues with my accommodation upon moving out and I had, well, a personal issue involving my family. To put it bluntly, I wasn't up to writing, I was incredibly stressed and I just simply didn't want to do it until everything was sorted out.**

**The good news is, everything is fine. I will be updating every week as promised, that's if nothing else in my personal life puts me on a hiatus but I doubt it will now.**

**So, Chapter 56: 21st June, then after that they'll be weekly at the latest. So Chapter 57 will come out from the 22nd to the 28th and so on after that until September or so. We'll see what happens when we get there but for now that's the plan.**

**Thanks for your patience, again. I know some may have given up or grown annoyed with the lack of updates but I'm glad to see a few of you have stuck around as well as there being a few new readers - Welcome!**

**Thanks again. :)**


	56. Reunion: Part II

**~*56*~**

The old wooden door of the drama club room slid open. Outside, there stood Ushio, Yumi, Takeshi and Satoru. They were still, seeming rather unsure on whether or not to enter. Ushio felt a cold shiver run down her spine, causing her to shake a little. "You okay?" Takeshi asked, Ushio gave a nod.

"It just seems strange."

"I know," Yumi agreed. Yumi placed a foot inside as she followed through with the other. Ushio and Takeshi did the same as Satoru stayed where he was. Beneath them they could feel a soft vibration, presumably coming from the large hall a few floors below. The soften noise rose up to their level, as if attempting to comfort them. Yumi made her way over to a collection of boxes that sat in the corner of the room. Takeshi glanced around, watching Yumi as Ushio moved over to the small table where they had once all sat. Six chairs sat around it; allowing Ushio to imagine herself and her friends as if they were arriving for lunch.

"It's pretty much untouched." Takeshi stated as he leant back against the wall, folding his arms. Satoru still stood outside the door way, the others were far too concerned with the old clubroom to notice him. Ushio brushed her hand over the small table as she smiled.

"It is," she uttered in reply to her friend. Yumi let out a small chirp as she pulled something out of one of the boxes.

"Ushio, look at this," she chuckled as she brought a large roll of paper over to the table. She laid it out for everyone to see. Ushio and Takeshi gathered round as Satoru poked his head inside the room. It was a hand drawn poster, rather dusty and slightly faded. It had a picture of a staging area on it with performers on stage. There were a few smaller illustrations scattered around the edges, a few masks and other props. In the middle some information for their old club was written down, along with the club rep's name '_Yumi Koharu'_.

"I remember this!" Ushio beamed. "It was from the first club meeting that Kaito and I spent alone." Satoru raised an eyebrow at Ushio's words as he nudged closer into the room. "I never told you Yumi, but Kaito fell asleep in that meeting."

"So you ended up doing this yourself?" Yumi asked.

"Yep," Ushio chuckled. Yumi let out a sigh.

"I never did trust him back then," she laughed.

"Wait, you were this good at art Ushio?" Takeshi asked, looking over the illustrations that covered the paper. Ushio gave a shrug. "I guess you're even better than this now, right? With those three years of studying it."

"I suppose," Ushio replied. "I'm pretty sure I've shown you some of my old stuff from high school though, before I left for college I mean." Takeshi shook his head.

"If you did, I don't remember it."

"I'll have to show you some of them, especially my later ones," she smiled. Takeshi nodded as Yumi spoke.

"I'd like to see those," she stated. Ushio placed her hands together; rather like an excited little girl.

"You should both come over for dinner sometime, I could show you some of my art and I'm sure my parents would love to see you both again!"

"That'd be great," Yumi nodded.

"Yeah, sounds good," added Takeshi.

"Erm, shouldn't we be getting back to the hall soon?" Satoru asked, the others jumped slightly at his voice, the three of them turned to face him. "Won't they be giving out awards or something soon?"

"I don't think they give out awards at reunions." Yumi smiled.

"I think a few teachers will be giving speeches or something to that extent," Ushio replied.

"Maybe we should head back," Takeshi remarked. "Kaito's probably waiting for us."

"Won't he just be at the bar? Drinking?" Satoru asked. Takeshi went rather quiet as his eyes fell to the floor. Ushio's eyes met Yumi's, running a hand through her violet hair; Yumi spoke.

"Come on, we better go." She tugged on Takeshi's sleeve as she passed him. He followed her out of the room, passing Satoru on their way. Satoru looked on at Ushio who approached him.

"Did I say something I shouldn't?" He asked.

"Look, Kaito's been through a lot." Ushio stated, letting out a sigh she continued. "He didn't have a good childhood and Takeshi said that he's been worse, we have to be patient with him okay?"

"Why are you so bothered about him?" Satoru asked, placing his hands into his pockets.

"Because he's our friend Satoru..."

"I get that you used to date, you obviously care about him but you all had a friend die right?"

"Look, we're not going to talk about this here."

"Okay, I'm sorry ... It's just-"

"Just what?" Ushio asked in a sharp tone. Satoru brought his hands behind his back as he shuffled his thumbs about. "Satoru?"

"Ever since I came here it's like I've been second best. Your dad hates me, your friends hate me, you barely speak to me-"

"There was a reason that we decided on a date for you to come. I know you were wanting to surprise me but I had only been at home for a week or so before you arrived. I wanted to see my family and catch up with my friends. That's important to me right now." Ushio stated, standing firm.

"So I'm not important?" Satoru asked, almost backing off from the dominant woman that stood before him.

"Don't do that. I didn't say that did I?"

"No," Satoru said, giving a shake of his head.

"Like I said, this isn't the place for this. What we need to do right now is go back down stairs and be polite, supportive and welcoming." Ushio finished, placing her arms at her waist. Satoru let out a slight sigh as he spoke.

"Maybe I should leave you to it for tonight."

"You want to leave?" Ushio asked.

"It might be for the best. You can catch up with your friends, have some time alone and we can wake up fresh and talk tomorrow," Satoru muttered, looking past Ushio and out of one of the windows.

"I'm going to be honest, I think that is really what I need right now." Satoru nodded at her words. He gave a weak smile.

"Well then, have a nice night Ushio."

"Thank you," uttered Ushio in a gentle tone as Satoru turned around and made his way down the hallway. Ushio looked back into the club room. She gave a few deep breaths, attempting to calm herself down. After finding her footing, she exited the room. Giving one last look inside the old club room, she slowly closed the door, allowing the room to return to its quiet and dark state.

* * *

><p>Kaito placed another empty beer on top of the bar's counter as he gestured towards the bartender. "Another one of these." The bartender rolled his eyes as he made for the small fridge behind him. After a minute or so, Kaito had another beer in his grasp as he began to drink it; not stopping to savour the taste anymore. As he brought the beer bottle down and away from his mouth, a voice called from behind him.<p>

"Kaito?" It asked. Kaito turned around and was met with a rather familiar sight. It was a large man, rather muscular. He had dark hair with a set of bright green eyes. The man wore a smart suit, complete with a crimson, red tie around his neck. Kaito recognised him instantly.

"Holy crap, Sato?" Kaito uttered, Sato gave a rather warm smile as he spoke.

"How're you Kaito?" He asked, placing out his hand. Kaito shook the outstretched hand, letting out a cough.

"Alright ... yourself?" Kaito let Sato's hand go as his own to his beer.

"Yeah, been good." The man smiled. Sato took a seat next to Kaito.

"What'll it be?" The bartender asked.

"Same as what he's having."

"Careful, I'll run out of those soon," the bartender stated, giving a stern look to Kaito. The bartender brought out another beer as he handed it to Sato.

"So, what've you been up to lately?" Asked Kaito; presenting his usual dry tone.

"Just college really."

"So that injury from Keshi didn't stop you?" Kaito questioned.

"Hah! No, of course not." Sato went quiet for a moment, "Well, in a way yes."

"How so?"

"I was on course for a scholarship, a fair bit away from this town," stated Sato.

"Where?"

"It doesn't matter does it?" Sato smiled.

"I guess not," shrugged Kaito. Sato gave another smile as he spoke.

"I'm actual-"

"Katsuo!" A man laughed as he placed a hand on Sato's shoulder. The two of them turned around.

"Fukui-Sensei!" Sato beamed, greeting one of his old teachers.

"How're you?"

"Not bad," Sato grinned, "how's the wife?"

"As cheeky as always! Look, I've got to go and help Mrs. Yoshino out on stage with the sound equipment. I'll speak to you later though!"

"Look forward to it sir," Sato nodded as the man walked away.

"Katsuo?" Questioned Kaito.

"Yep," nodded Sato.

"That's your first name?" Kaito asked, he had a slight look of disbelief on his face.

"What, you never knew that?" Sato laughed.

"Guess I never bothered to learn it ..."

"Anyway, where was I?" Sato uttered, attempting to return to their prior conversation.

"We were talking about your injury right?"

"Yeah," nodded Sato. "As I was saying, I was actually kind of grateful to Takeshi."

"You were happy that he dislocated your shoulder?"

"Actually, it was my arm." Letting out a laugh, Sato continued. "I was horrible to you and your friends in high school."

"Sato-"

"Let me finish," Sato said, Kaito gave him a nod. "After I was injured, I spent a lot of time thinking about my life. What I had done, where I wanted to be and all of that." Sato gave a sigh. "I could've got somewhere in Rugby sure but ... If I would've been the same person that I was back then, then I wouldn't have wanted that."

"That actually makes sense ..."

"I spent a long time making other people's lives worse that when Takeshi hit me and did that to me, well, it was as if life just hit me. I knew I couldn't keep being the way that I was. Also, watching you take my place on that field, helping us win the finals and leading the team ... it just showed me that there's always going to be someone better out there." Sato smiled again as he spoke. "So, instead of trying to be the best, I decided to become my best."

"I see," nodded Kaito.

"I was able to go to one of backup colleges."

"So what did you graduate in?"

"P.E with education, I'm going to be a gym teacher Kaito," he laughed.

"That's great man," acknowledge Kaito.

"I am sorry for how I treated you and your friends back then Kaito, truly I am." Kaito gave a shrug at his words. He brought his beer up to his mouth, taking another sip.

"It's in the past," he stated. Sato gave a nod as he smiled.

* * *

><p>Ushio made her way over to the table that Yumi and Takeshi were sat on. They had arrived shortly before her whilst she was speaking with Satoru. She pulled out a chair and sat down next to Yumi. "Where's Satoru gone?" Takeshi asked.<p>

"Back to mine, I don't want to talk about it." Ushio stated, giving a weak smile. Yumi and Takeshi shared a confused look yet they brushed it off, not wanting to push the topic. "Where's Kaito?"

"Over there," Takeshi said, pointing towards the bar. Ushio saw Kaito, speaking with a rather large, broad man. She thought for a moment.

"Is that Sato?"

"That's what we thought," nodded Yumi. The three of them continued to look on at Kaito and, who they suspected was, Sato.

* * *

><p>"You know, I heard about your friend." Sato uttered as he sipped on his beer. Kaito rubbed his forehead, as if attempting to soothe his thoughts. "I'm sorry, I know you were close."<p>

"Yeah," Kaito replied. He studied the contents of his bottle for a moment, he then proceeded to finish the rest of it. Placing the bottle back onto the counter he spoke. "Well, I'm going outside for a smoke."

"Wait Kaito," Sato said as Kaito had got up from his seat.

"What?"

"Listen, I recently started taking a martial arts class, locally you know." Stated Sato.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you know keeping fit, learning a new sport and that." Sato let out a chuckle, "I know you used to get into a fair few fights back in high school. I just thought, well if you wanted, you could come along." Kaito let out a sigh.

"I don't know ..."

"Look, just give it a think over." Sato thought for a moment. "I could give you my number, if you want to come then you can give me a call?" Half-heartedly, Kaito gave a nod. He pulled out his phone and Sato recited his number.

"Right, well I'll see you around," Kaito mumbled as he turned away and made for the exit. Sato returned to his drink as he continued to sip his first beer of the night.

* * *

><p>"Did Kaito just leave?" Yumi asked, as they watched their friend depart through the exit. Takeshi focused on the doors that had just closed behind Kaito.<p>

"Nah, he's probably gone outside to smoke or something." Takeshi said, rather hopeful that he was right. They all returned to their drinks that sat in front of them. The three of them sat there, listening to music and laughter that surrounded them. Among the noise, Yumi muttered something. "What?" Asked Takeshi.

"It's her, Hayashi."

"Who?" Takeshi asked.

"Hayashi ... Takeshi, she's the reason why the drama club was disbanded, remember?" Takeshi held his blank expression.

"You've lost me."

"You spiked her drink at the ball?" Yumi whispered. Takeshi's eyes lit up.

"Oh yeah!" He laughed, his gaze shifted over to where Yumi's was fixed. A woman with forest green hair stood next to two men. They were speaking amongst themselves and laughing with each other. "Want me to do it again?" Jested Takeshi.

"No! Of course not!" Yumi scolded.

"Alright, calm down. It was just a joke." Takeshi sighed. Yumi gave a shrug.

"It's in the past, I honestly couldn't care less about her now. She looks to be having a good time so I'll leave her to it."

"Very mature," chuckled Takeshi. Yumi rolled her eyes at him as Ushio let out a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Asked Takeshi. Ushio continued to laugh as the other two became rather confused.

"Ushio?" Yumi muttered.

"It, it's just funny."

"What is?"

"All of this ... it's rather nostalgic don't you think? Even if it's just three of us sat here, it still feels like we were never apart." She stated, giving a warm smile.

"I suppose so," Yumi nodded, Takeshi gave a chuckle.

"You two still argue like you used to," Ushio stated, raising an eyebrow at the two of them.

"But we're so mature now." Takeshi sighed.

"Takeshi, you'll never be mature," Yumi scoffed. Takeshi shook his head as they all burst into laughter once again.

* * *

><p>Kaito stood outside in the school's courtyard. The day had grown dark as night fell and a swift breeze flew over him. He stood there, looking up at the sky, cigarette in hand; taking the occasional puff. He looked across the courtyard, settling on a circular wall that surrounded a cluster of trees. Kaito strolled over towards it, taking a seat on the small wall. In the distance, near an archway that lead inside the school, a man approached. "Evening," he smiled as he took a seat next to Kaito.<p>

"Miyagi-Sensei," nodded Kaito after taking another pull of his cigarette.

"Do you have one of those for me?" Miyagi asked. Kaito pulled another cigarette out of the packet that sat in his pocket. Handing it to Miyagi, the man placed it in his mouth as Kaito held out his lighter. He flicked the switch and a flame sparked from it, illuminating their faces as it ignited the end of the cigarette. Miyagi inhaled as he let out a cloud of smoke. "Seems like only yesterday I was out here catching you and Takeshi in the act."

"We never smoked," Kaito muttered.

"I know, I just thought I should say something that related to the current situation."

"Right," nodded Kaito. They both took another pull of their cigarettes each.

"So how are you really Kaito?" He asked. Kaito went quiet as he flicked the ash off of his cigarette. "I know it must have been hard for you after finishing high school."

"I suppose it was," admitted Kaito.

"Truthfully, I was rather disheartened that you never contacted me. I hoped it meant that you were doing okay." Kaito let out a sigh at the man's words.

"I'm coping sir."

"Good," Miyagi muttered. "I can't look out for any of you now. Well saying that, from what I've gathered a lot of you are doing quite well for yourselves."

"So I've heard." Kaito mumbled.

"Are you glad to have them back?" Miyagi asked.

"Who?"

"Your friends, Yumi and ... Ushio, right?"

"I suppose," Kaito nodded. "It's a strange feeling." Miyagi threw his cigarette to the ground as he placed his foot over it, putting it out.

"I need to get back inside." He stated, placing out his hand. Kaito looked up to him, he stretched out his arm and shook the man's hand. "If I don't see you for the rest of the night, take care."

"Thanks," replied Kaito. Miyagi was about to turn away but stopped suddenly.

"Kaito," he said.

"Yeah?"

"Don't linger on the past. It rarely does anyone any good." With that, that man turned and made his way inside. Kaito took another pull on his cigarette as he let out a cloud of smoke. Mimicking Miyagi's actions he too put out his cigarette. However, instead of following the man inside, he took a different route. Kaito walked over to the gates that sat on the edge of the courtyard. Giving the school one last look, he exited the grounds and made his way down the hill which was surrounded by cherry blossom trees. Little did Kaito know that his friends were still inside, happily dancing the night away, completely unaware of Kaito's departure.

**~*56*~**


	57. A Friendship Rekindled

***Jacko was pretty big in Japan.**

**~*57*~**

It was rather early that morning as Kaito had begun rummaging through his closet. He threw a few things out of it, several items of clothing and such. Just then, a knock came over his bedroom door. "Yeah?" Kaito yelled.

"Yo, can I come in?" The voice asked. Kaito hesitated for a moment, looking over his room.

"Yeah," he replied. The door opened and in walked Takeshi. He wasn't dressed yet but he still wore his dark green dressing gown. "What's up?" Kaito uttered as he continued to look through the contents of his closet.

"What happened to you last night?" Takeshi asked, referring to their school reunion. Kaito shifted around to face his friend. He lent his head against the door of his closet.

"I told you I didn't want to go," Kaito muttered.

"Well, yeah I know that. You just left though."

"I know."

"Was it because of Ushio's boyfriend? He left before you did," stated Takeshi.

"No."

"Ushio and Yumi were rather upset that you didn't stay. Even Miyagi was hoping to sit down with us all." Takeshi remarked.

"Is that so," Kaito mumbled.

"Did you know his mother is dying? He's hasn't been at work for a while, he's been taking care of her." Takeshi let out a sigh. "He only came along to see us and a few other teachers and students."

"Obviously I didn't know that," Kaito replied in a rather sharp tone.

"Right," nodded Takeshi. "What are you looking for anyway?"

"That old Michael Jackson CD we had." Kaito replied, returning to his closet.

"What do you need that for?"

"Rin was wanting to borrow it."

"Can't she just listen to it, yanno, online?" Takeshi chuckled.

"She doesn't own a computer," Kaito sighed as he continued to shuffle through his closet.

"What?"

"She doesn't own a computer," Kaito repeated.

"Yeah, I heard. That's a bit weird isn't it?" Takeshi laughed. Kaito gave a shrug. "Anyway, you want a hand?"

"That's okay."

"Let me help man," Takeshi uttered as he got down on his knees and sat next to Kaito. Kaito let out a sigh as he spoke.

"Fine, you look on the right side okay?"

"Got it," nodded Takeshi. They began to search through Kaito's closet, putting aside many boxes and other certain items. "Why is your closet so full and your room so bare?" Takeshi asked as they continued their search.

"I just threw all my crap in here when we moved. I don't really need any of it," Kaito stated.

"Fair enough," Takeshi replied as he grabbed the corner of a blanket. He gave a pull of it, yet it was stuck under something. However, due to the masses of items and the dark interior of the closet, Takeshi couldn't exactly make out what. He gave another pull just as Kaito spoke.

"Keshi, wait-" it was too late however. Takeshi had pulled the blanket out and a small box came crashing down on the two of them. The contents of which spilled out onto the floor.

"Shit man, sorry Kaito." Takeshi uttered, Kaito gave an annoyed grunt in reply as the two sat there. "What was in it?" Kaito looked on the side of the box as he read it's label. _'Grans' _- Kaito's mind raced back as he remember where this box had come from.

_- "You okay?" Yumi asked. Kaito gave a nod; he was holding a small box in his hands. Noticing this, Yumi spoke. "What's in the box?" _

_"__Oh ... just a few things from my old house," Kaito replied. Clearing his throat he spoke again. "Someone finally bought it." Kaito stated._

_"__That's great man," Takeshi smiled. Kaito nodded._

_"__Yeah ... turns out I overlooked a few of my gran's things when I moved out. So, they put them all in a box and gave them to me."_

_"__So what's in there?" Yumi asked, curious as she was. _

_"__I haven't looked," Kaito replied._

_"__You gonna?" Takeshi wondered as he studied his friend._

_"__No," Kaito said, shaking his head. "I'm just gonna put it away." -_

"Kaito?" Takeshi uttered. Kaito shook his head as he looked to his friend.

"Nothing important," he replied as he quickly returned the emptied contents back into its box. Takeshi raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Look, it's fine Keshi, I don't need your help."

"Kaito-"

"I just want to be alone," Kaito stated as he pulled Takeshi up from the floor.

"What about the CD?" Takeshi asked as Kaito moved him over to the door.

"I'll get her to download it or something."

"But you said she didn't have a computer," Takeshi replied, now standing outside the door.

"Then I'll do something else," muttered Kaito as he closed the door on his friend, locking it in the process. Takeshi stood outside, completely dumbfounded, he rested his head upon the door as he silently cursed at him himself. Kaito hurried back over to the box as he picked it up and placed it on his bed. Sitting next to it he held his head in his hands. He slowly turned his head towards the box. He had completely forgotten about it, truthfully this irked him a bit. It was as if he had forgotten about his own grandmother, as if all of his memories of Juni had put those of others at rest. "Stop it," Kaito mumbled to himself. Letting out a sigh, he moved over to the box. Opening it, he began to take out each of the items that were housed inside it. There wasn't much inside, a few old ornaments and pieces of jewellery. They didn't appear to hold any value to them, although Kaito was not an expert on such things. At the bottom of the box Kaito found an old address book, it had a floral pattern on its cover. He flicked through the pages, there weren't many contacts in it. In a moment of curiosity Kaito turned to the 'S' section. At the very top of the page sat his father's name, Kunio Sakumoto. Underneath that was his mother's name, Maiha Sakumoto. Kaito felt a tear emerge from his eye. As it rolled down his cheek he caught it. Wiping it away he gazed back down at the book. As his eyes wandered down the page he saw another name. As he read it, Kaito dropped the book onto his lap. Wiping his eyes again he let out a deep breath. "I don't believe it," he uttered.

* * *

><p>"So, how was last night?" Satoru asked as he walked through Ushio's bedroom door. A towel was hung around his neck as his hair dripped water onto his shoulders.<p>

"How was your bath?" Ushio asked.

"Fine, how was your night?"

"Fine." Ushio uttered. She sat at her desk, hunched over her sketch book, pencil in hand. Satoru moved over to his suitcase, pulling out a shirt; he placed his arms into it and began to button it up.

"Just fine?" He asked. Ushio swung around in her chair as she spoke.

"It was nice to see my friends, my teachers and all of that." She paused for a moment and gave a smile, "it was fun."

"Good," Satoru nodded. He finished buttoning his shirt as he took a seat on Ushio's futon. "So, are we going to talk?"

"Okay," Ushio replied, looking on at him. Satoru gave an uneasy laugh.

"I can go if you want me to Ushio," he stated, "I can just leave and come back in a week or two."

"You don't have to do that," Ushio replied.

"Then just tell me what to do, I'll do whatever you want." Satoru gave a smile. Ushio got up off her chair as she moved over towards him. Taking a seat next to him on her futon, she took his hand in hers.

"I just need you to understand," she began, "there's a lot of history between my friends and I. They were like my family."

"I can imagine," Satoru nodded, "especially after what happened."

"Right," Ushio uttered. "I just need you to be a little patient for the time being."

"I can do that," Satoru replied, giving another nod.

"Thanks," Ushio smiled.

"I am sorry for turning up early, I realise that I may have put you and your family out a bit."

"It's okay, I just really wasn't expecting to see you so soon," Ushio said.

"I know," Satoru sighed. "I just missed you."

"We were apart for less than a month," Ushio laughed. Satoru gave another nod. They were quiet for a moment, yet Ushio spoke up, breaking the silence. "I need you do something else as well."

"What's that?"

"Don't mention Juni again, not around Kaito." Satoru raised an eyebrow.

"I don't understand though, why is he so much more affected by it?"

"Satoru, please. Just do it for me?" Ushio asked.

"You can tell me you know-"

"Satoru ..." Ushio sighed. Satoru focused on her for a moment. He then gave yet another nod as if he were an obedient little puppy. "Thank you," Ushio smiled. A knock came from Ushio's opened door. The two of them looked up.

"Am I interrupting?" Asked Tomoya who was leant against the door. Ushio shook her head as Satoru stood up.

"I was just going to pop to the toilet." He uttered as he moved past Tomoya. Tomoya stepped back, letting the red hair man out of the room. He moved back into Ushio's bedroom as he and his daughter stared at each other.

"Dad, you're being weird," Ushio remarked. Tomoya gave a shake of his head a he spoke.

"Right, sorry. I was just wanting to speak with you for a second."

"Sure," Ushio nodded as Tomoya closed the door behind him.

"Look, you know I don't particularly approve of a lot of this. Rooming arrangements and all of that," Tomoya stated.

"Dad ..."

"But, your mom has told me to keep my thoughts to myself. So I'll just say my peace okay?"

"Okay," Ushio sighed.

"I'm sorry I've been a little hard on him. I just found him to be more forward than I would have hoped."

"Weren't you like that when you started seeing mom?" Ushio asked.

"I was still a kid," Tomoya noted. Ushio gave a nod.

"I'm sure you'll like him dad."

"If he means a lot to you, then I'll give him a chance. I just want to make sure that you're okay, that this is what you want." Tomoya muttered, Ushio's eyes shifted away from her father. "Anyway, come on down stairs, breakfast is ready."

"Seasoned rice?" Ushio asked, adopting a cheerful tone.

"Sure," nodded Tomoya as he exited the room, leaving Ushio to her thoughts.

* * *

><p>It was early evening as Takeshi rushed through the busy shopping district of Hikarizaka. He almost bumped into several people on the way. "Sorry!" He yelled as he dodged passed one woman, "In a rush!" He cried as he darted past two men. He was out of breath, his clothes were a mess and his hair was beginning to lose control. However, he finally reached his goal. Just up ahead, standing aside from a group of young teenagers, stood Yumi. Her short hair was clipped to one side, her attire was made up of a light coloured t-shirt along with a pair of dark jeans. A scowl came across her face as she focused on Takeshi. He fixed his shirt and trousers on his way over, approaching the woman with caution. "Hey," he chuckled in a wheezy voice.<p>

"I've been waiting for nearly thirty minutes," sighed Yumi.

"Sorry," replied Takeshi, "I lost track of time!"

"You never change do you?" Yumi asked, he gave a shrug. "Right, well we've missed the movie. So what do you want to do?"

"I dunno," Takeshi stated, "catch up?"

"For god's sake, catch up while doing what?" Yumi sighed.

"We could go to the arcade."

"That place is still open?" Yumi questioned with a laugh. Takeshi gave a nod.

"Not many new games or anything though, same old I guess."

"At least it's better than nothing," Yumi smiled.

"That's the spirit!" Takeshi bellowed as the two walked onwards towards the old arcade.

* * *

><p>The arcade wasn't very busy, a few men stood at the slot machines while an elderly woman sat inside a small booth, presumably to hand out change and manage the few customers. "Aw cool, a pool table!" Takeshi laughed, looking to Yumi he spoke. "Fancy a game?"<p>

"Sure," she smiled as they moved over towards a table that sat in the far corner. After placing a coin in and racking up the pool balls, Yumi leant over with her cue to break. Takeshi looked on at Yumi as she followed through with her cue, knocking apart the group of balls and potting one in the process. As she brought herself back up, she gave a smirk as Takeshi let out an uneasy laugh. "So," Yumi uttered as she lined up her next shot, "did you find out what happened to Kaito last night?"

"Not really. He didn't exactly want to go in the first place though."

"Why not?" Yumi wondered as she potted another ball. She grabbed the square chalk as she rubbed it on the end of the cue.

"It's just, well, ever since everything with Juni. He really hasn't been the same."

"I gathered that," Yumi nodded, "I thought he'd move past it though, like we all have."

"I thought he would too, I've tried to help him as much as I can but I don't know-"

"Don't be hard on yourself Takeshi," Yumi stated as she placed the chalk down. "We've always known that Kaito keeps to himself, he's never been that open."

"Yeah, It's only been on occasion that he's opened up."

"Right," nodded Yumi as she leant over the table again, lining up another shot.

"I've been really worried though. More so now than before."

"How come?"

"Well, the other week, Kaito was invited round to Ushio's for dinner. He seemed okay then, a little more pleasant I suppose."

"And?" Yumi asked.

"And, since then he's just been up and down, constantly. He started at one of those support group things, to help with his depression."

"Has that helped?"

"That's just it, I thought it would. I mean, he made friends with this girl there. I don't know if she's doing him any good though." Takeshi muttered.

"What's her name?"

"Rin."

"Have you met her?" Yumi asked, potting yet another ball.

"Not yet," Takeshi replied, Yumi brought her cue over to Takeshi's side of the table. She leant over again as Takeshi's eyes focused on her body. Yumi brought her cue back as again, she followed through and potted another ball. As she came back up she caught Takeshi's eye. He gave a slight cough before spoke. "When did you get so good anyway?"

"At pool?" She asked, perching on the edge of table; rather close to Takeshi.

"Yeah ..."

"I had a lot of practice at college," she smiled.

"I see," Takeshi nodded, "So what's happening with that then? What's the big plan with your whole music thing?"

"I'm really not sure," Yumi laughed. She went quiet for a moment, letting out a sigh, she spoke. "You know what I'd really like to do?"

"What?" He asked.

"Promise you won't laugh?"

"I swear," Takeshi said, placing his hand on his heart. Yumi rolled her eyes, letting out a laugh in the process.

"Well, I'd love to open a shop here in Hikarizaka." She stated, "A music shop." She gave a smile as Takeshi nodded.

"That sounds great Yumi," he said.

"You don't think it's silly?"

"Why would I think it's silly?"

"Well, you know, I wanted to do drama for ages ... I switched to a music course and now I want to open music shop. When I say it out load I think it makes me sound a little silly." Takeshi shook his head at her.

"Yumi, it's taken you a little while to find out what you want to do. There's nothing silly about that," Takeshi smiled.

"Thanks," Yumi replied.

"Hey, when you open up shop, I'll be your first customer."

"But you don't play any instruments," she laughed, tucking a strand of violet hair behind her ear.

"I might do in the future," he shrugged. Yumi let out a laugh as Takeshi joined her.

"I'm glad we're still friends Takeshi," she chirped.

"Me too," he nodded. "Come on, you've got another shot to take." Yumi nodded as she leant over and sunk another ball in the furthest pocket.

* * *

><p>Yumi and Takeshi sat on a bench in the middle of the shopping district. It was growing darker yet the streets were still busy. They were each eating taiyaki as Takeshi let out a groan. "This no good," he muttered.<p>

"What, the taiyaki?" Yumi asked.

"Yeah, I can do better than this."

"You'll have to show me sometime," she laughed.

"You know who was a good baker?"

"Who?"

"Ushio's grandfather, Akio." Takeshi nodded.

"Oh yeah," Yumi smiled, "We should visit their bakery!"

"Yeah, it would be nice to say hello to him and Sanae."

"It would," Yumi agreed. Takeshi chewed on a bit of his taiyaki, swallowing it, he spoke.

"Yumi?"

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering, have you visited Kazuki since you came back?" Takeshi asked.

"Only once," she uttered. Takeshi nodded.

"I went a few times after you left for college."

"Yeah, my dad said. Thanks, Kazuki would've been happy about that." She smiled.

"Yeah," Takeshi chuckled, "So ... has there been any change?" Yumi shook her head at his words.

"No, three years and no change," Yumi stated. "I think my parents are beginning to accept that he may never wake up."

"So what would that mean?" Takeshi asked, "like with the hospital and that? Would they just keep him there?"

"I'm not sure," Yumi replied in a quiet voice. They sat there for a while, quiet as they were, listening to the passing citizens and the busy streets. Takeshi placed his taiyaki back in its little paper bag as he placed it beside him on the bench. Turning to face Yumi he gave a smile.

"If you want, the next time you go to visit him, I could come with you."

"Takeshi ... you don't have to do that."

"I don't mind," he replied. Yumi gave another smile as she nodded.

"I'd like that," she said. Takeshi gave a nod as the two continued eating their taiyaki and enjoying their time together, something that was long overdue.

**~*57*~**


	58. Sweet Insanity

**~*58*~**

"Kaito!" The red headed man smiled as Kaito approached the end of the bar. The man wore a dark green shirt along with a pair of dark trousers and shoes. He's wasn't very tall yet he had a sense of maturity to him, as if he was wise beyond his years.

"Hey Juni, how's it going?" Kaito asked.

"Pretty swell," Juni chuckled as Kaito took a seat next to him. "Is Keshi coming?"

"Think so, he's with Yumi at the moment though so I guess he'll be a while."

"Fair enough," Juni smiled. "How's Ushio?"

"Great, yeah. She's gone with her family to the beach today, I thought I'd come and hang out with my old pal though," Kaito winked.

"Haha! That makes me feel so warm inside," Juni jested. He took a sip of his drink as he looked to Kaito. "You having one?"

"Sure," nodded Kaito. Juni nodded and, as if in an instant, Kaito held a small glass of whisky in his hand. "Classy," Kaito laughed. Juni held his glass out as the two clunked them together.

"Cheers," Juni said.

"Cheer," nodded Kaito. As he took a sip, placing the drink back onto the counter, Kaito looked up. "How's Kumi?" He asked

"Good," Juni replied, "she gets back from her trip to England next week, I can't wait to see her."

"Nice man."

"I was actually meaning to talk to you about something," stated Juni. He began to fiddled with his pocket as he brought out a small, soft, case. "Here," he said as he passes it to Kaito. Kaito opened it up as he looked at the contents. Inside sat a small, shiny ring. A gem sat on top of it.

"Woah ..." Kaito uttered. Juni gave a smile. "How long have you had this planned for?"

"Months."

"That's awesome man! Congrats!" Kaito laughed as he embraced his friend. As they came apart, Juni spoke.

"I need you there with me Kaito."

"What?"

"I need you Kaito." Juni said, giving a rather serious face.

"Erm ... Juni."

"We need you Kaito."

"We?" Kaito asked as Juni nodded.

"She needs you."

"What do you mean?" Kaito asked. Suddenly, as Juni began to speak, Kaito's eyes began to blur. His hearing became muffled. He was losing his vision. He began to cry out to his friend yet there was no answer. Kaito fell back, about to hit the floor, he fell through. He simply kept falling and falling into a bottomless pit. One with no end.

* * *

><p>Kaito awoke with a sweat. Breathing heavily he tried to calm himself down. He looked over to his window. "The hell was that?" he muttered to himself. Bringing his hand to his forehead he gave a sigh. "Juni ..." He leant over to his bedside table as he picked up his phone. It was 6:12 AM. Kaito gave another sigh as he turned over, bringing the covers of his bed over his head, he attempted to get a little more sleep; rather fearful of what may await him in his dreams.<p>

* * *

><p>Kato made his way into the kitchen. He wore a dark set of messy overalls and a pair of filthy boots. His hair was very untidy and heavy bags lay under his eyes. "You look like shit." Takeshi remarked as he caught Kaito coming in. He was sat at the table sipping a cup of tea, also wore a dark uniform yet it was very well kept and clean. Kaito didn't respond, he made his way towards the front door as Takeshi spoke again. "You coming tomorrow night?" He asked.<p>

"Where?" Kaito mumbled as he held the door handle in his hand.

"I swear you have a selective memory," Takeshi laughed, Kaito stared at him. "Crack a smile dude."

"Whatever," Kaito made for the door again.

"Are you coming?"

"Jesus, what for?" Kaito yelled.

"Calm down man," Takeshi replied, Kaito gave a sigh. "We're going out for dinner remember? Me, you, Yumi, Ushi-"

"Satoru?"

"Right." Takeshi nodded.

"Fine."

"You can ask your friend if you want?"

"I might." Kaito uttered as he opened the door and left the room. Takeshi stared at the empty space where Kaito had stood as he brought his hand to his head, rubbing away a headache he had felt coming on.

* * *

><p>Kaito leant forward as he placed his brush in front of him and pushed forward. He wore an orange jacket on top of his overalls with the words 'Community Cleanup' on it. He swept several bottles over to a corner of the street he was stood on. It wasn't busy, the only noise came from another worker on the other side of the road. "We couldn't of picked worse jobs could we?" The light haired man complained.<p>

"At least we're not picking up shit today," Kaito mumbled.

"Nope, but we are tomorrow," the man replied. Kaito gave a sigh as he placed his brush up on a bench. He brought out a cigarette and lighter, proceeding to light the cigarette, he brought it up to his mouth and inhaled. "If they catch you doing that off break time you'll get fired. You've had what, four warnings now?"

"No one's here, how will they catch me?" Kaito scoffed.

"They have cameras everywhere you know," the man stated, looking in different directions.

"Right ..." Kaito sighed. He turned away from the man as he held his cigarette between his lips. He then continued to sweep the side of the road, pushing the bottles along. They sang a rustic tune as they clanked together. Removing the cigarette from his mouth, Kaito let out a sigh as a large cloud of smoke left him. "You're right you know." Kaito huffed as he looked to the other man, the man returned his gaze. "We couldn't have picked a worse job." The light haired man began to chuckle as Kaito shook his head. "I'm thinking about quitting."

"Really?" The man questioned.

"Yeah, everyday. Aren't you?"

"Everyday," nodded the man.

* * *

><p>Kaito and Rin stood outside of their local community centre. Their support group had gone for a break so they had decided to go outside. They stood there, watching the cars pass by on the busy road, each holding a cigarette in their hands. Kaito took a pull of his as he let the smoke leave his mouth, looking to Rin, he spoke. "You like going out, right?" He asked.<p>

"What?"

"Out, you know. For food."

"Well, yeah. We went out," she laughed, "or did you forget?"

"No," mumbled Kaito. "I don't mean eating cereal ... I mean properly going out for a meal, drinks and that."

"Doesn't everyone?" Rin asked, flicking the end of her cigarette as the ash fell from it.

"No ... anyway, my friends and I are going out for a meal tomorrow night. We'd like for you to come."

"We?" Rin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Look, you don't have to if you don't want to." Kaito replied, flicking his cigarette to the ground.

"Sure, I'll come." Rin smiled. "But you know," she said as she came close to Kaito. "I've haven't been on a date for a while," she stated as the smoke left her mouth, falling on to Kaito.

"It's not a date." Kaito replied, moving away from her. "Besides, we went out before didn't we?"

"You said that cereal wasn't 'properly going out' right?"

"I suppose." Kaito muttered. Rin gave a wink.

"So I haven't been out on a date in a while."

"It's not a bloody date," Kaito sighed. Rin laughed as she gave him a jab on his arm.

"Relax Kaito, I'm just messing with you."

"Good," Kaito replied.

"Besides, if I was attracted to you, you'd know it by now." With that, Rin dropped her to cigarette to the floor and made her way inside the community centre. Kaito let out a sigh as he suffocated the cigarette under his foot, following Rin back inside.

* * *

><p>Takeshi stood outside a local restaurant with Kaito as they waited for the others. They were both dressed rather smart, similar to their outfits at their reunion. Kaito, as always, wore his dark bomber jacket. "D'you ever think you could make more of an effort?" Takeshi asked.<p>

"With what?" Mumbled Kaito.

"Well, you wear that jacket all the time."

"I'm comfortable, what's the problem?"

"No problem. Just saying is all." Takeshi gave a sigh as the two stood in silence. The brisk air fell over them as they remained quiet. Lately, things had become a little too quiet for Takeshi's tastes. He was rather happy to have some of his friends back, but still, the ever so dull days hung over him like a rain cloud. With many failed attempts at cheering up his friend tallied up in his head, he was beginning to grow tired. Suddenly, as if sent from above, a rather cheerful voice called over, breaking the rather familiar silence.

"Hey Kaito!" Rin called as she approached the two men. They stared at her, eyeing up her outfit. She wore a dark, slim dress. On her back, the laces of her dress resembled a cross pattern, highlighting her slim build. Her hair was pulled up in a pony tail as per usual. The only visible make-up was the ever darker eye shadow that sat over her eyes. Accompanying all of this was a pair of black sneaker shoes.

"How's it going?" Kaito nodded as Rin came to a halt.

"Not so bad, you look ... well not much different than usual but hey, no complaints here." Rin laughed, giving a wink to her friend.

"Right," Kaito muttered. Takeshi gave a cough as he spoke.

"If he's not going to introduce me, then I will." Takeshi chuckled as Kaito rolled his eyes. "I'm Takeshi, the ever so handsome roommate of Kaito here." He placed out a hand.

"I'm Rin," Rin replied as she gave a polite chuckle at Takeshi's comment while shaking his hand.

"Right," Takeshi nodded. "Kaito's told me so much about you."

"Oh he has, has he?" Rin smiled. Kaito gave a sigh.

"Not really, it's just Keshi's way to make things up like that. Really, he's told himself so much about you."

"That doesn't make sense," Takeshi replied, attempting to laugh off Kaito's words.

"Think about it really hard," Kaito sneered, "It might start to." They went quiet again as Rin gave a cough.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Takeshi," she nodded. Takeshi gave a smile as Rin spoke again. "So, who are we waiting for?"

"Well, there's our friend Yumi, she shouldn't be too long. Then there's Ushio and her boyfriend Satoru. That's it."

"Ushio the ex?" Rin asked, looking to Kaito. Kaito gave a slight nod as he lit a cigarette. "I see." Rin nodded. Takeshi raised an eyebrow as Rin laughed. "She came up in conversation once, in fact you did as well."

"Fair enough," Takeshi shrugged. Takeshi's eyes came away from Rin as he settled on a figure behind her. "There's Yumi now." He said, pointing behind the dark haired woman. Yumi wore a maroon, long flowing top with a pair of slim fitting leggings. A belt was strapped around her waist and a pair of dark heels sat at her feet.

"Well, I feel under dressed." Yumi stated as she joined the three of them.

"Not at all!" Takeshi beamed.

"Yeah, you look fantastic!" Rin smiled. Yumi's eyes focused on Rin as she tried to come up with a response. "I'm Rin by the way," Rin stated, placing out her hand as Takeshi had done earlier. Yumi shook the woman's hand.

"Yumi ... you're Kaito's friend, right?"

"I am indeed," Rin laughed.

"Right," nodded Yumi. "Erm, thanks by the way, you look fantastic too," Rin blushed.

"Aw, thanks." Takeshi and Kaito shared a glance.

"R-right, shall we go inside? We may as well get the table ready for Ushio coming." Takeshi said.

"Sure!" Rin nodded as Yumi gave a smile. The two followed behind Takeshi as Rin turned to Kaito. "Are you coming?" She asked. Kaito shook his head as he let out a cloud of smoke from his mouth.

"I'm gonna finish this first." He replied, Rin nodded as she turned back and entered the doors of the restaurant. Kaito gave a sigh as he brought the cigarette back up to his mouth, inhaling another misty cloud of the substance.

* * *

><p>"Your dad still hates me you know," Satoru mumbled as he and Ushio made their way down a street. They were dressed rather smart, Satoru wore a shirt and pants, Ushio wore a summery, blue dress.<p>

"Would you stop it with that?" Ushio replied.

"I'm just saying," Satoru uttered.

"Remind me, when are you leaving again?" Ushio sighed as she marched ahead of Satoru.

"What?" Satoru said as he came to a stop. Ushio halted as well.

"Come on, I was only kidding," she replied with a chuckle. Satoru hung his head. "Look, my parents are allowing you to stay with us, you're going to be staying for a couple more weeks right?"

"I guess," Satoru nodded, swaying his maroon hair up and down.

"So, that means my dad must like you to some degree."

"Or your mom made him," Satoru huffed, folding his arms. Ushio brought her phone out, checking the time.

"I'd say let's talk about this later but I really don't want to go through this with you again," Ushio stated, beginning to grow cross.

"Fine."

"Good," Ushio retorted. The two continued on as they made their way towards the restaurant.

* * *

><p>Kaito flicked the end of his cigarette, sending the ash flying to the ground as per his routine. He heard a pair of familiar voices coming from across the street. Letting out a sigh, he turned his attention towards them. Two figures emerged as he saw Ushio and Satoru heading in his direction. "Kaito!" Ushio smiled as they approached. Kaito tilted his head in acknowledgement. "How are you? I haven't seen you since the reunion."<p>

"Fine." Nodded Kaito.

"Good," Ushio smiled. Satoru popped up from behind her as he gave a wave.

"Alright there Kaito?" He asked.

"Alright," Kaito replied, giving a nod. The three of them went quiet as the sound of cars and people passing by covered the silence.

"Well, shall we go in?" Ushio asked. Kaito gave a nod as he tossed his cigarette to the floor. He turned and pushed the restaurant's front door open. He held it as Ushio came forward, making her way through. Satoru followed, only pausing to smother the dying cigarette under his foot. As he passed Kaito he gave a weak smile. After Ushio and Satoru were inside, Kaito entered, letting the door close behind him.

* * *

><p>The six of them all sat around a large table as they partook in conversation with each other. Satoru was finishing telling a joke to the others as Kaito began to down a beer. "Thery're both a great ride until someone sees you on one!" Satoru laughed. The others gave him a strange look, all aside from Rin. "You know, because mopeds are terrible and fat people are ... well-"<p>

"I guess it's one where you had to be there, right?" Takeshi asked as he picked up a string of noodles with his chopsticks.

"No Takeshi, it's not one where you had to be there. It's pretty self explanatory." Satoru replied.

"I thought it was funny," Rin chuckled, taking a sip of her wine. Kaito finished the last of his beer as he brought the glass down.

"So-" Kaito let out small burp. "What you're saying is, that you wouldn't be seen on a moped or with a fat person?"

"No, no it's jus-"

"Well, that's what it sounded like."

"No, you just didn't understand," Satoru remarked.

"Well explain it," Kaito retorted. Satoru was growing rather annoyed.

"Look, ju-"

"Okay!" Ushio interrupted. "Let's just leave it yeah? Satoru, it wasn't really an appropriate joke and Kaito, I think you're just looking into it a bit too much." She stated, looking toward the dark haired man.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry," Satoru uttered. Yumi have a chuckle.

"Oh, that's fine!" She bellowed. "Hey, things wouldn't be fun without a bit drama, right?" Yumi jested. The others each smiled at her words.

"Well , whatever." Kaito mumbled as he stood up.

"Where are you going?" Rin asked.

"To the bathroom, is that allowed?" Kaito asked with a sigh.

"Well yeah I was wondering-" Rin began but Kaito had walked away from the table. "If you were okay..." Yumi leant towards Takeshi a she whispered in his ear.

"This is getting silly," she said. Takeshi gave a quick.

"I'll go sort him out," he replied. Takeshi got up from his seat as he gave an uneasy laugh. "I'll be back in a minute." He walked off towards the men's bathroom as the others looked to each other.

"So Rin," Ushio began. "Where is it you work exactly?"

"Oh here and there," she smiled. Ushio returned the smile as a more pleasant conversation began to arise.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the men's bathroom, Kaito was stood at one of the urinals; he began to whistle a tune to himself. The door opened as Takeshi walked in. He approached the urinal as Kaito continued to whistle, not acknowledging his friend. Takeshi leant against the wall as he looked on at Kaito, all that stood between them was one of the separators that provided privacy for the occupant. "What is it?" Kaito finally asked, still not making eye contact with Takeshi.<p>

"Come on man, talk to me."

"I am."

"I mean, well, what the hell was that?" Takeshi asked, folding his arms.

"The song? Well I was whistling the theme t-"

"Why are you suddenly so witty?" Takeshi questioned.

"I'm just happy."

"Is that because you're on your eighth beer of the night and we haven't even had our mains yet?" Takeshi mumbled.

"No, you see. Everyone's happy! You've got Yumi back, Ushio's cosy with her boyfriend and Rin get's to have a few more friends." Kaito said with a dry chuckle.

"What are you on about?" Takeshi sighed.

"Everyone's happy!" Kaito yelled. Takeshi gave a worried look but it was cut short as a man exited one of the toilet stalls. Takeshi looked up to the ceiling, pretending to mind his own business as Kaito continued to whistle. The man approached a sink as he washed his hand. Giving a disapproving look to the two men, he made his way towards the door as he exited the room. Takeshi let out a sigh as he spoke.

"Kaito, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"I want you to tell the truth."

"Don't I always?"

"I suppose, rather bluntly to be honest." Takeshi replied. Kaito scoffed at his words as he walked over the one of the sinks and began to wash his hands. "Are you jealous of Satoru?" Kaito didn't answer. "I mean, I guess I'd understand if you were. Your first real relationship was with Ushio and-"

"He's a bit of a dick, don't you think?" Kaito interrupted. Takeshi let out a cough.

"No, he seems okay."

"Sure he does." Kaito gave a wide grin as he went to dry his hands.

"Look, just take it easy okay?"

"Just take it easy..." Kato mimicked as he rubbed his hands on his trousers. He gave a tired look to Takeshi. "You take it easy," he said as he departed the room, leaving Takeshi alone. Takeshi placed his hand to his head as he began to rub his forehead as he had done earlier that day.

* * *

><p>The six of them had left the restaurant as they made their way down one of the quieter streets. Rin and Yumi walked together at the front, they were laughing together; reminiscing on one of their earlier conversations that night. Takeshi, Ushio and Satoru walked along behind them. "Them two seem to be getting along," Ushio smiled.<p>

"Definitely," Takeshi nodded. Slumping along behind them, finding it rather hard to walk straight, was Kaito. He had another bottle of beer in his hand, his fourteenth bottle of the night. Ushio gave a look to him as she returned her gaze to Takeshi.

"Is he okay? I mean, should he be drinking so much?"

"Probably not. To be honest though, tonight, I'm not worrying about him." Takeshi replied.

"I'm guessing the conversation you had with him didn't do much?"

"Not a thing." Ushio gave a worried sigh as Satoru spoke.

"I'm sure he's fine."

"Actually, I really don't think he is." Ushio replied, Satoru looked over to Kaito, Ushio did the same. "Kaito?" She called, Kaito looked up, leaving the sight of his feet. "Come on." She said, gesturing for him to join them. Kaito came over, keeping his balance. Ushio placed her arm on his shoulder as they walked beside Satoru. The red headed man found himself constantly looking to Kaito, yet all he saw was a drunken man propped up by a friend. As they came around a corner, Yumi and Rin saw two men leant against a wall across the street. They caught their gaze.

"Hey girls!" One of the men shouted. The other man whispered something to his friend as they both laughed. Yumi kept walking as Rin followed on, ignoring them.

"Come on!" The other man yelled as they slowly began to cross the road. "Keep us company tonight yeah?"

"Leave it," Takeshi said as he and the others followed behind Rin and Yumi.

"We'd rather not, like I said we wouldn't mind some company!" They all came to a stop as the men approached, Takeshi met them in the road.

"Look, we don't want any trouble. We're all just heading home so leave it yeah?" A heavy cloud of rain came over them as it began to fall from the sky, soaking everything below it. The man in fron to Takeshi puffed his chest out, attempting to tower over the fair haired man.

"What about that one there?" One of the men said, pointing over to Ushio. Satoru looked to Ushio who was still keeping Kaito on his feet.

"Why would she want to hang out with you?" Yumi yelled, coming up just behind Takeshi.

"She'd love it!"

"Just leave it." Takeshi repeated. Kaito had suddenly lost Ushio's grip as he smashed his bottle against a wall. Gripping the neck of it, with the broken shard facing away from him, he quickly made his way over to the men. As if in an instant, Kaito had darted towards the one who was sizing up Takeshi. He tackled him to the floor as he held the bottle to the man's neck. The other man lashed out to Kaito but Takeshi held him back.

"Kaito! What are you doing?!" Yumi cried.

"Leave him alone Kaito!" Rin added.

"Get off him now!" The man in Takeshi's grasp yelled. The man on the floor was silent in shock as a wide eyed Kaito leant over him.

"Hang on," Takeshi said to the man he had hold of.

"What?!"

"Just wait!" Takeshi turned to Kaito ask he began to speak. "Kaito, just think of what you're doing okay?" Takeshi uttered. Kaito tightened his grip on the man. "You've had too much to drink man, this isn't worth it." Kaito wasn't listening, he came close to the man on the ground as he spoke.

"I've seen guys like you yanno." Kaito hissed in a menacing tone. "I've seen what y-you do to people who can't fight back." The others looked on in horror as tears began to fall from Kaito's eyes. "I could do it so easily as well."

"Kaito!" Takeshi shouted, Kaito snapped away from his trance, he looked to Takeshi. "You're scaring everyone, just let him go!" Kaito looked to his friends, their wet faces were terrified of what they saw in front of them. Kaito dropped the glass to the floor as he rose. Takeshi moved over to him as he took his shoulders and pulled him away from the man on the floor. Takeshi's eyes found their way to the two men. "Go, now." The other man helped his friend up as they quickly walked away from the group, making their way down the road.

"He's fucking crazy!" One of them shouted as they dashed out of sight. The rain fell on Takeshi and Kaito as they stood still. Just then, however, Kaito began to laugh.

"What's the matter with you?!" Takeshi yelled as he let go of Kaito. Kaito stumbled back, gaining his balance. The rain had come on heavy as the two friends glared at each other. Yumi, Ushio, Rin and Satoru remained as spectators.

"You know wh-ts wro-ong. You know why," Kaito slurred.

"Don't give me that, don't blame it on your depression or whatever the hell you want to call it!" Takeshi shouted, wiping the falling rain from his face with his sleeve. He clenched his fist as he continued to speak. "It's been 3 years Kaito! More than that now! You need to get over it!"

"Easy for you to say!" Kaito roared.

"No it's not!" Takeshi took a deep breath. "We were all his friends Kaito, not just you."

"Please!" Kaito scoffed as he gave a cough. "You were his f-friend?" Takeshi's eye widened. "All you ever did was put him down, make fun of him."

"Kaito just stop!" Yumi yelled. Takeshi put his hand out, gesturing for her to be quiet. Yumi fell silent.

"Keep going," Takeshi mumbled. Kaito gave a raspy laugh.

"Remember how the three of us met? You were bullying him weren't you?" Kaito shook his head. "You were always a p-piece of shit."

"Kaito ..." Ushio said with a sigh. Kaito didn't acknowledge her, he kept on talking.

"Now it's my turn right? You've spent all this time putting me down while you're off being successful!" Kaito went quiet as he caught his breath. The others stared on, rather concerned at the current situation between the, most likely, former friends.

"You're like family to me Kaito, you know that? So I'm going to tell you something, this is straight from the heart." Takeshi gave a cough as Kaito eyes remained locked on him. "No one's been keeping you down or holding you back. You're not down, you're not sick and you're not special." Takeshi gave a sigh as a small, unpleasant, smile came across his face. "You're just a jealous, lazy bum." Everyone went quiet as the heavy rain continued to fall. Kaito's eyes locked on to Takeshi, without hesitating, he darted forward and took a swing at the man. Takeshi dodged the blow as Kaito stumbled forwards, in an instant Takeshi had reacted. His threw his fist out, connecting with Kaito's stomach. Kaito winced as Takeshi followed through with an uppercut to Kaito's chin. Falling back, Kaito landed in a large puddle, soaking him. Ushio darted in front of Takeshi as she widened her arms.

"That's enough!" She yelled. Takeshi was breathing heavily as he looked on at Kaito. He was on the ground, resting on his hands and knees. Ushio stood in front of him, protecting him from further harm. Takeshi gave a sigh as he turned and began to walk away.

"Takeshi?!" Yumi yelled, she gave a look to Ushio as the woman nodded. Yumi followed Takeshi down the road as Ushio turned to Kaito.

"Are you okay?" She asked. Kaito gave a grunt as he leant his head in a puddle. Ushio looked over to Satoru and Rin who had been quiet all this time. "I don't think he can go home tonight."

"You're going to bring him back to yours?" Satoru uttered.

"He's my friend," Ushio sighed.

"But look at him," Satoru muttered as he pointed towards the downed man.

"What do you expect me to do?!" Ushio shouted. Satoru went quiet. Rin let out a slight cough, she then spoke.

"Look, I can just take him to mine for tonight."

"You'd do that?" Ushio asked.

"If it means avoiding more arguments then yeah," she nodded. Ushio gave a smile.

"Thank you Rin," she said.

"No worries," Rin remarked. "You two better head home, I'll stay here with him and get a taxi."

"You're sure?"

"Of course, go." Rin gave a rather warm smile, Ushio nodded as she gestured for Satoru to follow. He slumped behind her the rest of the way, hanging his head as the rain pelted the back of it. Rin knelt down next to Kaito as she brought out her phone. "I'm ringing a taxi okay?"

"F-khm s-m."

"What?" Rin asked, Kaito let out a cough.

"He's fucking scum."

"Don't say that," Rin sighed.

"He's dead to me." Kaito muttered. Rin went quiet at his words. Shaking her head, she spoke.

"Just stop it okay?, you're drunk. I'm calling a taxi." With that, Rin proceeded to dial the number and wait in the pouring rain with a less than pleasant Kaito Sakumoto.

**~*58*~**


	59. Parting Ways

**~*59*~**

Kaito awoke with a stir as his darkened eyes saw Rin standing above him. "How're you?" She asked. Kaito gave a raspy cough as he attempted to bring his head up, yet he dropped back onto the sofa he was laid on.

"I don't think I've ever felt worse." He groaned. "Where am I?"

"This is my apartment, I told Ushio I'd bring you here." Rin hesitated for a moment. "You do remember last night, don't you?" Kaito gave a slow nod. "You really scared us."

"I know." Kaito replied. Rin supported him as Kaito pulled his shaking body up from the sofa. He sat up, sinking into the back of the sofa. He took a look around. He was sat inside Rin's living room. It was rather bare, a small television sat in one corner, opposite the sofa. A coffee table was adjacent to it with an old armchair at one end. This was all in front of a small fireplace. "Why do you have a fire place in an apartment?" He asked.

"It's just a feature." Stated Rin. Kaito nodded his head as Rin let out a sigh. "Are you going to pretend like last night didn't happen?"

"No ... no, course not," Kaito said, reassuring her. "I know I said a lot of things."

"To Takeshi."

"Yep."

"Your best friend ..." Rin uttered. Kaito gave a winced as he placed his hand on his stomach.

"I know." Rin locked her eyes on Kaito. His hair was a tattered mess, his chin was bruised and a rather unpleasant smell lingered over him.

"Did you mean it, all the things you said I mean, did you?" Rin asked. Kaito's eyes met with the floor as he let out a sigh.

"Yeah, I think so," he nodded. Rin paused for a moment, she then cleared her throat.

"Kaito, if you don't mind me asking, who was the person you were talking about?"

"What do you mean?" Kaito wondered, rubbing his head.

"Well, the things you were saying to Takeshi, they were about someone. I gathered it was someone close to you," she stated. Kaito stared into Rin's eyes, as if wondering if he could trust her. Rin stared back, speculating at what the man could be thinking. Finally, Kaito took a large sigh, his eyes dragged over to the fireplace, they became misty.

"Our friend Juni was killed just after we all graduated." He muttered. Rin's expression went from concern to shock in a matter of seconds. "I was there when it happened," Kaito continued. "Well, I got knocked out and when I came to, he was just lying there, bleeding out everywhere." Kaito brought his dirty sleeve to his eyes as he wiped them. "I called an ambulance but they didn't come in time, he just died in my arms."

"I'm so sorry Kaito," Rin said in a shaky voice.

"You know, I think it's been easier for the others because, well they've never been through something like that, they weren't alone."

"What do you mean?"

"You see, when I was little my parents died in a car crash, then when I was in high school my gran, who was taking care of me at the time, she died. Then Juni and I, I've never felt so alone in my entire life." Rin looked on at the broken man who sat in front of her. "I've tried to move past it, I really have. But it's like Juni's here, reminding me of what's happened." Kaito breathed into his hands, warming them. "It's like I'm stuck in limbo or something, not able to move forwards or backwards yanno?" He came to a pause as he began to break down. "No one fucking understands what it's like. I'm just here ... wasting away. I'm not me and I haven't been me for a long time."

"Kaito, I had no idea." Rin stated, her eyes began to grow misty. Kaito looked to her, he took a few deep breaths.

"I've never told anyone this ... but I nearly gave up once. I couldn't take it anymore and I planned to kill myself." Rin went stiff, she felt cold listening to Kaito's words. "I got so close but for some reason I couldn't. It's awful Rin. I can't give up on my life but I can't live it either." Tears began to roll down Kaito's cheeks as he cried out. "I-It's like I've got this beast inside of me! Tearing away at me. And it won't give up, it just won't stop." Kaito's head fell into his hands as he tried to fight his tears. "You don't know how hard it is every single day. I'm making everyone else suffer and I don't know how to stop it." He gave a cough, "I don't know what to do Rin ..."

"I ... I-" Rin was speechless. She had no idea what to say, what to think. Making her way over to the sofa, she sat down next to Kaito. She placed her arm around Kaito as he collapsed onto her lap. He began to cry as she stroked his head. They stayed there in silence for quite some time, no one spoke, not one word.

* * *

><p>"Here," Rin said as she piled another spoonful of rice onto Kaito's plate. The two were sat in Rin's kitchen. Much like her living room; it was rather bare. Kaito has come to the assumption that Rin wasn't very wealthy.<p>

"Thanks," Kaito mumbled through his food.

"Take one of these," Rin added, placing a small pill on the table.

"What's that?"

"Just a pain killer," she replied. Kaito nodded as he took the pill and threw it into his mouth. He brought his cup of tea towards him as he took a sip, swallowing the pill in the process.

"Don't you have to take anything?" He asked as he brought his tea down.

"For?"

"Erm, the bi-polar thing?"

"Oh, I-I already took them today," Rin smiled.

"Ah, I see." Kaito continued to fill his mouth with food as Rin took a sip of her own drink.

"So what are you going to do now?" Rin asked, Kaito looked up to her.

"D'you want me to leave?"

"No, no." Rin laughed, "I'm just curious."

"Oh, well ... I'm really not sure," stated Kaito.

"Are you going to go home, fix things with Takeshi?" She asked, bringing a chopstick down to her food. Kaito's eyes fell towards the table.

"I-I've said too much to him now. I guess it's not completely how I feel, at least, well not to the extent that I made it out to be. It's still there, those feelings." Rin placed her chopsticks down as she waited for Kaito to continue. "I think I need to sort myself out ... I went to an extreme last night, something that's never happened before."

"It was pretty extreme ..." Rin nodded. Kaito let out a sigh.

"I think, before I fix anything between Takeshi and I ... well, before I fix anything between myself and any of my friends ... I need to fix me." They went quiet. It seemed that had become the norm for Kaito, quiet periods, silence.

"I think that's really mature," Rin said, breaking the silence. Kaito looked up to her. "Kaito, from what I've gathered from spending time with you, since meeting you, what I learnt from your friends last night and ... and what we spoke about this morning." She took a deep breath, "forgive me if I'm speaking completely out of line but you haven't wanted help have you?"

"No."

"Right," Rin nodded. "You see, I know people don't understand it. I was the same ... after my mother died."

"I didn't know ..." Kaito sighed.

"I guess it's silly really, but, when she died ... a part of me died." Rin gave a weak smile. "You understand that right?" Kaito gave a nod as Rin returned it.

"Is ... is that when the you found out you were bi-polar?" Rin paused at his words, thinking for a moment, she nodded.

"It started up then, but it's manageable now."

"At least that's something," Kaito uttered. Rin gave a small chuckle as Kaito raised an eyebrow.

"We're like two peas in a pod, aren't we?" She smiled. Kaito laughed at her words.

"Yeah, I guess we are." He replied. He let out a cough as he spoke. "Thanks for this Rin, it's nice to have someone who understands, you know?"

"I do," she nodded. Kaito gave a rather genuine and sympathetic smile to the woman. Rin took another sip of her drink. Placing it back down, she spoke. "Kaito, you're more than welcome to stay here for, well, however long you need. If you feel like you need to be away from Takeshi for a while then it's fine."

"Thanks Rin but you don't have to that, we barely know each other."

"You're my friend Kaito, and after everything so far, well, I feel like I've known you much longer than I really have." Rin admitted.

"I suppose ... thank you, that means a lot." Kaito smiled.

"You're welcome. I mean, if time is what you need then you shouldn't ignore it." Rin stated, Kaito gave a nod before he suddenly stopped, he then shook his head.

"I don't know if it's strictly time that I need."

"Then what is it?" Rin questioned. Kaito shrugged.

"I don't know, but I don't think I'm going to find it here." Kaito sighed. Rin gave a confused look at Kaito, he began to explain his previous words. "A good few years ago, after my gran died. I sorted through a lot of her stuff. As it turned out, I'd missed a few things. So, I got them given to me in a box and, well, when Kes- ... Takeshi and I moved in together, I put it to the back of my closet, I didn't want to know about it." Kaito let out a cough as he continued. "Then, a few days ago, I came across the box. There was this address book in there so I went to Sakumoto, my last name." Rin nodded. "My parents names were there," he gave a weak smile, "Kunio and Maiha ... then underneath that was another name. Kioshi Sakumoto."

"So, he's a relative of yours?"

"Yeah, trouble is, I don't know how he's related to me." Kaito stated, "I think he might be a close relative. My gran placed my mom and dad together in the address book."

"That's probably because they lived together thou-"

"She always did things exact. You know? She always had a place and an order for things. For some reason, the three of them were grouped together. Maybe it is simply due to their last names, but I don't know. It's sounds really stupid but I have this feeling in my gut, there's some significance to this guy."

"I don't want to come off as apathetic but are you sure you're not just reading into something a little too much?" Rin asked.

"Either way, I feel like I need to find this guy, talk to him or something," Kaito stated. Rin let out a sigh.

"Was it just a name? Or was there anything else written down."

"There was an address and a phone number," Kaito said. Rin gave a nod.

"Maybe you should call them first? For all we know, this person could ... could be gone."

"Yeah ..."

"Look, if you're gonna stay here for a while then you're going to have to go home and get some things together right?" Rin smiled. Kaito nodded. "So grab this book, bring it here and we can figure out where to go from there."

"Alright," Kaito agreed.

"Good, now finish your breakfast, you're going to need some strength in you." Rin stated, Kaito gave a smile as he continued to eat the now, lukewarm, food that sat in front of him.

* * *

><p>Kaito made his way over to his apartment's building. He still wore his clothes from the previous night. Rin has allowed him to take a shower but, due to the wet clothes, he still looked a state. He entered the front door of the reception as he greeted the girl at the front desk. "Hi Sakura," he said.<p>

"Oh, hey Kaito." Sakura gave a smile. Her clear, blue eyes glancing over to him.

"Have you seen Takeshi today? Has he gone out at all?" Kaito wondered.

"No, I haven't seen him this morning."

"Okay, thanks," nodded Kaito. He turned away as Sakura spoke again.

"Are you alright?" She asked, running her hand through her short hair. Kaito turned back around.

"Yeah, why?"

"You look, well, you've got a big bruise on your chin and your clothes, well ..."

"I'm fine, I fell over last night." Kaito stated. Sakura gave a chuckle.

"I'm guessing you stayed out as well?" She asked with a wink. Kaito gave a shrug.

"Something like that," he replied as he made his way up the stairs, leaving Sakura to her work for the day.

* * *

><p>The front door of the 'Fujimoto-Sakumoto' residence opened as Kaito strolled inside. The apartment was cold and dark. Takeshi was nowhere to be seen. Kaito quickly made his way over to his bedroom. After a short while, Kaito had packed a rucksack with several items of clothing, a tin with some savings in, and the address book he had acquired from his grandmother's house. Turning off the light, Kaito slipped out of the room as another door in the apartment opened. "Kaito?" A voice asked. Kaito turned around to see Takeshi coming out of his bedroom. He was wearing a pair of lightly coloured jogging bottoms, aside from that he was bare. "What are you doing?"<p>

"I was hoping to just slip out ..." Kaito sighed. Takeshi rubbed his tired eyes as he made his way into the kitchen, Kaito followed.

"Where're you going?" Takeshi asked as he filled the tea pot up with water.

"To Rin's ... she's letting me stay with her for a little while." Kaito stated, Takeshi paused for a moment.

"I see."

"Look Takeshi, I didn't mean to act the way I did last night. I ju-"

"Right, it was just a mistake waiting to happen. I'm done with this Kaito, honestly." Takeshi went quiet as he added a pile of tea leaves to the pot.

"You're done?" Kaito asked. Takeshi nodded.

"Look, we're roommates until the day one of us moves out but, I'm done caring and worrying. It's not fair."

"I know," Kaito nodded. "I'll transfer you my rent for this month, probably next's as well."

"Wait, how long are you staying at Rin's for?" Takeshi asked dryly.

"I'm not sure ... it's just I have somewhere I need to go, something I need to do."

"You mean out of town?" Kaito nodded at Takeshi.

"I need time away, time to think and to sort things out."

"I've been offering you help with that for the past three years, yet all you've done is resent me for it." Takeshi scoffed. "Why is anything different now?" Kaito let out a sigh as he shook his head.

"I could've seriously hurt someone last night, if I don't try to do something now then there's no coming back for me."

"Right ... why have you become so talkative all of a sudden?" Takeshi questioned, pouring the simmering tea into a cup.

"It's just dawned on me that people are actually willing to listen."

"I think it's a little too late for that," muttered Takeshi.

"Yeah, well ... I just hope things can be different if I come back ..."

"If you come back," Takeshi echoed. Kaito gave a nod. He slowly made his way to the front door. placing his hand on the door handle he gave in a twist. He stopped, turning his head towards Takeshi he spoke.

"I don't resent you, I know what I said last night ... maybe those feelings came from somewhere but I don't ..." Kaito gave a sigh. "You're like my brother, and I've never really appreciated you." Kaito let out a cough. "I know Juni loved you ... to be honest, it should've been me that night." Kaito said, his dead eyes lingered over Takeshi. Takeshi brought his tea in hand and walked over to Kaito. He came to a stop. Taking a deep breath, he spoke.

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out." Takeshi turned away and made his way over to his bedroom, closing the door behind him. Kaito looked on as fought back his tears. Letting out a sigh, he exited and closed the door on the dark and empty apartment.

* * *

><p>"So he just, took off to Rin's?" Yumi asked as she, Takeshi and Ushio sat in a booth at a local cafe. Takeshi gave a sharp nod.<p>

"I'm sure he'll be okay, I mean, you guys are bound to make up," Ushio stated.

"He threatened to kill a guy last night, in front of all of us." Takeshi said bluntly.

"No he didn't," Yumi replied, taking a sip of her drink.

"He said that he'd seen guys like him before and he could do it so easily." Takeshi let out a sigh, "Obviously he was referring to what happened with Juni."

"But he snapped out of it, and if what he told you this morning was true then he knows that what he did was wrong, right?" Ushio remarked. Takeshi shrugged as he looked down to the burger and French fries that sat on his plate. He gave one of the fries a nudge. "I know you're angry with him Takeshi, but if Kaito is truly trying to fix whatever he thinks is wrong then we need to support him."

"But he's had three years to do that. It's ridiculous." Takeshi threw his hands into his pockets. "I've gone out of my way, put my own life on hold, to help him. I've urge him to seek out help, gone with him to the doctors, hell, I even let him live at my house after his gran died but all he's done is throw it in my face." Takeshi's tone became rather coarse. "Then when I start go get a little ahead, when I start to get a little something for myself, he becomes jealous and blames me for all of his failures." Ushio gave sigh.

"Takesh-"

"No Ushio! Don't you dare defend him!" Takeshi slammed his fist on to the table.

"Maybe we should all calm down?" Yumi suggested. Takeshi shook his head.

"Can't you guys see what he's doing to us? I knew this would happen, the second I learnt, Ushio, that you had come back ... well I knew he'd ruin it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ushio asked. Takeshi placed his hand to his head as he let out a groan.

"Jesus, he's just jealous of Satoru. He sees you and it reminds him of back then, he looks at everyone of us with just jealousy and hate." Takeshi sunk into his seat as he gave a deep breath.

"I don't think that's true," Ushio uttered. Yumi looked to her as she nodded.

"Ushio's right Takeshi, Kaito is just ... well he's jus-"

"What? What is he?" Takeshi let out a laugh, "I've put up with this for three years, three years. He's selfish, not once has he considered my feelings." Takeshi sat up straight as he took a few more deep breaths. "I don't know how to be his friend anymore." Ushio and Yumi shared a worried gaze. Ushio cleared her throat as she spoke.

"Takeshi, can I ask you something?" Takeshi nodded, "and I want you to promise not to get mad." The man gave another nod. "Have you really considered how Kaito feels?"

"What?"

"What I mean is, that maybe Kaito feels like people have been trying to fix him for so long that he's past the point of it?" Ushio let out a sigh. "I remember when his grandmother died, he and I, we were sat in his attic looking over a lot of old photos and letters. He told me how scared he was of being alone and I told him that he never would be, he would always have us there with him."

"I don't understand," admitted Takeshi.

"What I'm getting at is, Kaito is so different than how he was before. He's lost all of his joy, his sympathy and hope ... Juni's death took it away from him." Ushio's voice began to grow weak, "Kaito's worst fear was being alone, and now that's the only thing he feels. I know you've tried to help him but I don't think any of us can possibly understand how he feels ... Kaito is alone, he's so deep into that state that he can't feel anything else. As I said, I think that he feels like he's beyond helping." Takeshi and Yumi looked on in awe of Ushio, they were both shocked and impressed with her speech.

"Forget Art Ushio, you should've been a psychiatrist, or a therapist ..." Takeshi uttered. Yumi brushed him off.

"So what can we do for him now?" Yumi asked, rather hopeful that Ushio would come up with an answer. Ushio took a long pause as the other two anticipated her words.

"I-I don't think we can do anything. Kaito went to a whole new level last night. I think now, he feels like this is his last chance to do something about it. He's scared himself and now I think he knows that he's the only one that can change anything now." Takeshi gave a slow nod before he spoke.

"I don't understand something though ... why go to Rin's? He said he had something to do, somewhere to go ... does he want her to go too?"

"What do we know about Rin?" Yumi asked, "I mean she's a nice girl and all ... but what?"

"Maybe, having Rin around, Kaito doesn't feel so alone? Maybe she's been where he has before?" Ushio suggested. Takeshi hung his head.

"I feel awful now," he muttered.

"Don't," Yumi smiled as she placed her hand on his. "You have every right to be angry Takeshi, right Ushio?" Ushio gave a nod as Takeshi looked up.

"Every right," she said.

**~*59*~**


	60. I Hate This Town

**I'm incredibly rusty with Japanese formatting, so I had to look up the address online. I'm afraid I may have butchered it - if anyone wants to help me correct it then please do so - but at least you get the point of it. (There's a small Easter egg in the address as well - specifically to do with Clannad and its origins.)**

**~*60*~**

The door to the old Furukawa Bakery gave a moan as it was pulled open by a pair of scruffy looking boys. "Not too shabby," the taller one of the two said.

"Let's just get something to eat, I'm starving." The smaller one said. His dark, messy hair fell from its previous position as he spun around to close the door. The two of them glanced around the bakery. There were several stalls of bread stationed across the room. A small, transparent fridge sat in the corner, showcasing the many drinks that sat inside. At the back of the room lay a large counter with a small till on top, an archway leading to the rest of the building was behind it.

"Not too shabby at all," the other boy repeated.

"Okay Keshi, you've made your point." The dark haired boy replied. He gave another glance around as he spoke. "Where are the owners?"

"Dunno, let's just grab and run!" The taller boy laughed.

"That won't be necessary!" A voice called from inside the archway. Their eyes darted towards the opening as a slim, pretty woman came through.

"Erm! We was- I!"

"Take a look around, we have a rather tasty selection of bread," the woman smiled.

"Yes mam!" The boys cried, giving a bow of respect. They made their way through the stalls as they both chose their snacks. Approaching the counter, the taller boy gave a laugh.

"Kaito, would you mind terribly?"

"Jesus Keshi, again?"

"I'm broke!"

"Sure," Kaito nodded. He handed some money to the woman as she gave a smile.

"You two seem like really good friends, you should cherish that."

"Lady, you don't know the half of it," Takeshi laughed. Kaito gave his friend a dig to the ribs. "Er- i mean ... thank you," he said, giving a smile. The woman gave a nod as the boys thanked her for the bread. They began to make their way out of the shop as she spoke.

"Oh, if you boys wouldn't mind!" Kaito and Takeshi turned around. The woman went into the back. After a moment, she returned with a large tray of bread. "I've been working on a new recipe!"

"Oh, really?" Kaito remarked, moving towards the woman. She gave a welcoming smile. Takeshi followed behind as the two boys took a small roll of bread each. Upon closer inspection they could tell that the bread was rather ... off.

"This is in date, right?" Takeshi asked.

"Of course," the woman replied, "they're fresh out of the oven." The two boys shared a look of distrust. Yet, this woman's warm smile made them push on. They both took a bite each. The woman looked on as the boys faces began to contort. Kaito quickly swallowed the piece in his mouth, yet this proved far more difficult that it should. The rough exterior of the bread clawed at his throat, not wanting to let go. Takeshi began to cough and he fought to hold down the coarse snack. "Well?" The woman smiled.

"Y-yeah. Great." Kaito mumbled with teary eyes.

"It just so good I wouldn't want to overdo it." Takeshi added.

"I see! That's so good to hear!" The woman chuckled. The boys slowly backed away towards the door.

"Well, we gotta go," Kaito uttered. The woman waved them off as they exited shop.

"Don't be strangers!" She smiled. The boys turned as they made their way down the road.

"That was the worst thing I think I've ever put in my mouth!" Takeshi cried. Kaito gave a nod as they made their way around a corner. There, sat on the edge of a brick wall was their red headed friend; Junichiro.

"Hey, what did you get?" He asked with a smile.

"Pal, you don't wanna know." Takeshi wept as Kaito began to chuckle. Junichiro gave another smile as he looked over his two friends, his best friends, Kaito and Takeshi.

* * *

><p>Kaito gave a weak smile as he though over a past memory. It was one that seemed so long ago, so far away from his current state. Now, things were different; perhaps beyond repair. He and Rin sat opposite each other. They were in the kitchen, a small table was between them with Kaito's old mobile phone set in the middle of it. Rin was tapping her fingers on the hard, wooden surface as Kaito rested his chin on his hands, eyes level with his phone. Kaito brought one hand out as Rin's fingers went still. Yet, as he had previously done before, Kaito brought his hand back to its original position as Rin's fingers began to tap on the table again. Kaito's eyes found their way to Rin's as he let out a sigh. "This is harder than I thought it would be," he admitted.<p>

"Just go for it," Rin replied. "The words will just come to you, I'm sure."

"But I don't want to tell him who I am over the phone, I'd rather do that in person."

"I get that, but we need to find out if it's actually his number."

"I know, I know ..."

"I'm only trying to help Kaito," Rin remarked. Kaito gave a nod as he brought his gaze back to the phone.

"Okay, I'm going to do it." Kaito reached out for the phone as he began to input a number. Rin's eyes widened as Kaito pressed a button, allowing the call to be made. He pressed one more button as the phone used it's loud speaker. A dial tone came up as Rin and Kaito waited patiently for someone, anyone, to pick up. After a few seconds, they did.

"Hello?" A voice asked. Kaito was quiet, Rin gestured with her hand for Kaito to speak. "Hello?" The voice asked again. Kaito cleared his throat, in a rather hushed tone; he spoke.

"Y-yes is this Kioshi Sakumoto?" Kaito asked, Rin gave a supportive smile.

"Yes," the voice replied. Rin gestured again for Kaito to speak. Kaito gave a quick nod.

"The Kioshi Sakumoto that lives at 1-4-6 Kamiosaki, _Mizuho_-Ku, Tokyo 142-0609?" Kaito asked. The man paused for a moment.

"Who may I ask is speaking?" Kaito looked to Rin, she shrugged as Kaito attempted to speak. He couldn't, his opened mouth barely let out a single vowel. Rin grabbed the phone as she made a static sound and proceeded to hang up on the man. She gave a sigh as she placed the phone back on to the table. Kaito's head collapsed into his hands as he let out a deep groan.

"It's all not all bad," Rin chuckled. Kaito raised an eyebrow at her.

"It couldn't have gone worse," he moaned.

"At least we've found out that it's him and it's a home number so it's more than likely that the address matches the number, right?"

"I suppose," he nodded. "Also, he was pretty hesitant on confirming his address, so it probably was right."

"Exactly, you see? You did good."

"Thanks," Kaito smiled. In truth, he was slightly pleased with himself. After all, he was one step closer to meeting this mysterious relative.

* * *

><p>Kaito made his way into Rin's bathroom. He stopped as he stood in front of the sink, locking eyes with himself in the mirror. He gave a sigh as he brushed over the stubble on his chin, tracing his hand up towards his heavy eyes. Reaching out with his hand, he opened the cupboard door that the mirror was attached to. The cupboard was rather barren. Rin's toothbrush sat inside along with a tube of toothpaste and mouthwash. Kaito scratched his head, his toothbrush sat in his other hand. He made for the toothpaste, squeezing it out on the bristles of his brush. As he was about to bring to his mouth, the door to the bathroom creaked open. "Got everything you need?" Rin asked, poking her head through the door.<p>

"Yeah, thanks." Nodded Kaito. Rin smiled, she pulled her head away from behind the door as Kaito spoke. "Rin?" She popped her head back around.

"Yeah?"

"Do you take any medication?" Kaito asked, Rin looked slightly confused. "For the bi-polar thing? It's just, well I haven't seen you take any and the cupboards pretty bare."

"I just need to pick some more up." Rin muttered. She looked rather bewildered at Kaito's words. Kaito gave an uneasy laugh.

"Sorry, I was just being nosy. It's not really like me to be honest." He said, forcing a smile.

"Maybe you're changing your ways," she replied, raising an eyebrow. She gave a smile as she pulled away from the door again, shutting it behind her. Kaito looked over the door for a moment, he was growing ever more curious of Rin. She hadn't appeared to be someone who needed medication, perhaps she hid it well? He didn't know. He gave a sigh as he closed the cupboard door, yet again he locked eyes with himself in the mirror.

"Maybe I am changing," he mumbled to himself.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Kaito had said goodbye to Rin as he made his way into work. He opened his locker inside of the changing rooms of the local community centre. Giving a sigh as he looked over his pair of overalls he pulled them out and began to dress himself. As he finished off, placing his regular clothes in his locker and shutting it, a voice called to him. "Sakumoto, my man!" Kaito spun around, there stood a rather burly looking man, a few years older than Kaito.<p>

"Taichi," nodded Kaito in a rather reluctant manner.

"We're partners today!" The man laughed.

"Really?"

"Yeah, didn't you check the schedule?" Taichi asked, folding his arm as he leant against a locker. Kaito gave a shrug.

"To be honest I've been a bit preoccupied," Kaito admitted, turning away as he began to stroll past the other lockers. The man followed.

"I wouldn't let the boss hear that, he'd fire you in a minute." He laughed, running his large hand through his mousy coloured hair.

"Yeah, why's that?" Kaito muttered as they left the changing rooms. Coming out into a large corridor they continued on.

"You cause him enough trouble as it is. Being late most days, slacking off and all that."

"I do alright," Kaito replied. The man gave a chuckle as he thumped Kaito on the arm.

"Cut the crap," Taichi said as Kaito came to a stop.

"This jobs shit Taichi, I really couldn't care less if the boss fired me."

"Really?" Taichi questioned.

"I've got more important things going on then picking shit off the roads. It's just a pay check and a poor one at that," Kaito scoffed. Taichi gave a big grin as he nodded.

"Absolutely! But that's why we gotta stick together right? Have some fun while were out there?"

"You're the last person I'd go to for some fun," Kaito mumbled as he resumed his stroll. Taichi began to laugh again as he followed form behind.

* * *

><p>The outstretched end of Kaito's long gripper clung to a piece of litter as he placed it into his bag. Kaito and Taichi were out on a rather quiet road, no cars had passed by as they worked. Taichi gave a yawn as he spoke. "Makes you wonder why they even bother to send us out here."<p>

"What's that?" Kaito asked as he scraped a brown substance off the floor with his gripper.

"I said, it makes you wonder why they even bother to send us out here, being so quiet and all."

"People like to think Hikarizaki is a nice town," Kaito replied. Taichi dropped his gripper on the floor as he took a seat on the nearest bench. Stretching out on it and placing his feet up, he finally spoke.

"What do you think?" He wondered. Kaito continued to scrape at the floor, not wanting to acknowledge the other man. "Hmmm?" Taichi hummed.

"What?" Kaito sighed.

"What do you think of Hikarizaki?" Taichi repeated. Kaito gave another sigh, he gave up scraping the floor as he made his way over to the bench. Taichi lifted his feet up and spun around, sitting upright, letting Kaito take a seat.

"I dunno," Kaito replied.

"Come on, you've lived here, what? 20 years?"

"I moved here when I was 11, so it's more like 10." Kaito muttered as he poked the ground with his foot.

"Fair enough, but in those 10 years you must have made an opinion on it." Taichi stated. Kaito thought for a moment, he let out another sigh as he spoke.

"I hate this town ... it's ... it's just full of memories I'd rather forget." Kaito looked out at the quiet road, a row of buildings lay behind it.

"It's funny..." Taichi mumbled.

"What is?" Kaito asked, looking to the man.

"You hate this town, yet here you are cleaning it's streets. Seems a bit strange right?" Taichi asked, giving a small grin.

"You're such a dick," Kaito mumbled, shaking his head. Taichi laughed at Kaito's words.

"At least I'm honest. Come on man, are you honest?"

"I dunno," Kaito uttered. Taichi nodded.

"You never do." He said. Kaito rose up from the bench as he turned towards Taichi.

"I fucking hate it here. Sometimes I just want to pack up, leave and never look back." Kaito admitted.

"Do it," Taichi replied. "Fuck this place, fuck this job and all that other shit." Kaito stood silently as Taichi looked on at him. Kaito found it odd, a man who he barely knew, only through their misery in an otherwise futureless job, was able to make him open up. Kaito knew that Taichi spoke the truth, this mammoth of a man knew what Kaito wanted, more so than Kaito himself. "Well?" Taichi asked. Kaito let out a chuckle.

"I quit." Kaito mumbled. Taichi nodded as a grin grew over his face.

"That's the spirit! Hey, I might quit as well!"

"No, you won't." Kaito muttered, Taichi nodded.

"Yeah, you're probably right. But that's why you should go for it. You're young, me? I'm stuck in my ways."

"You're like 25," Kaito sighed as he looked to the man.

"Right, go get 'em kid." Kaito nodded as he began to march away from the quiet road that lay among the streets of Hikarizaki, the town where that he had come to loath.

* * *

><p>Kaito walked towards the main office of the community centre. He stopped for a moment, considering what he about to do. Did he really want to quit? What would that achieve? '<em>I want to get better. Doing something I hate isn't going to help, you know that.'<em> he thought to himself. Giving a tight grip to the overalls in his hand, he nodded. "Fuck it," he mumbled. He burst through the office door as his boss got up to his feet.

"Sakumoto?!" What the hell are you doing?!" Kaito's boss had a clean cut look. There was not one strand of hair on his head, and his large brow gave a menacing scowl.

"I quit," Kaito said, throwing the pair of overalls on the man's desk.

"Excuse me?" The man asked, his face began to turn rather red.

"I said I quit, I'm done with this. I'm done with you." Kaito turned around and began to walk away.

"Fine!" The man yelled, "You're a bum Sakumoto! Always will be! Good luck finding a job you waste of space!" Kaito paid no heed to the man, he simply kept walking down the hallway of the community centre, not sure where to go, not sure what to do. He simply kept walking on and on, counting the steps towards, well, whatever the future would hold.

**~*60*~**

Not an amazing or overly long chapter. Simply a step in the right direction. Stay tuned!


	61. To Boldly Go

**~*61*~**

The dark haired man stirred a spoon around in his cup of tea. He was sat in a booth, which in turn sat in a rather colourful and bright diner. It was rather busy with people coming in for their breakfast and morning coffee. The man rested his head on his arm as continued to stir the contents of the cup. He wore a blue set of overalls and boots. As his eyes found their way over to the window beside him, he heard a familiar voice. "What the heck are you doing here?" The voice asked. The man's eyes darted to his right. There stood a tall, red-haired man. His piercing yellow eyes fell down upon the other man as he grinned.

"What are you on about old man?" Tomoya asked. "You invited me here." Akio paused for a moment as he nodded.

"I know that," he replied, taking a seat opposite Tomoya. "What's the date today?"

"May 16th," Tomoya groaned.

"And the year?"

"You're kidding, right? It's 2027."

"I see, Is Nagisa still planning on staying with you?" Akio questioned.

"Well, considering we've been together for over 20 years, sure." Tomoya gave a roll of his eyes.

"Ey, don't be all sarcastic with me," Akio scoffed. "It was a simple question."

"Stupid, old man, the word you're looking for is stupid. Nothing you've just said has made any sense."

"If you say so," Akio mumbled. A waitress came to the side of their table as she spoke.

"Can I get you anything?" She asked.

"One parfait please," Akio replied, giving the girl a thumbs up.

"That's the chocolate and strawberry mix, diamond special one, right? Your usual?" She smiled.

"Usual?" Tomoya mumbled.

"Ah! Y-yeah sure," Akio said, looking around the room for any onlooking eyes.

"And for you?" She asked, turning to Tomoya. Tomoya shook his head.

"I'll just stick with tea thank you." She gave a bow as she turned away and made her way through a door in the back. Tomoya had a grin on his face as his gaze turned to Akio. "You still get those parfaits? After all these years?"

"What the hell's wrong with that?" Akio muttered, folding his arms as he slouched back in the booth. Tomoya gave a shrug.

"I seem to remember you saying that they were too fancy?"

"You remember that?" Akio asked, rather surprised at the capacity of Kaito's memory.

"I remember a lot of the crap you used to ... well, still do." Tomoya laughed. Akio gave a nod as Tomoya took a sip of his tea.

"So, how's the whole situation with Ushio's boyfriend?" Akio asked. Tomoya looked to the man, bringing his tea back to the table he let out a sigh.

"Is that why you asked me here? You wanted to talk about that?"

"No, I merely wanted to ... converse, with my-" Akio gave a wince, "son-in-law ... as it were."

"I swear, you become more and more strange every day, old man," Tomoya remarked, giving another grin.

"Okay, so I wanted to talk to you about it, big dealio!"

"Dealio?"

"Look, just tell me about it okay? You still hating on the kid?" Akio asked.

"I don't hate the kid ..."

"You don't like the guy that's dating your daughter, it's normal. Heck, I didn't like you when I first met you."

"Thanks," Tomoya muttered. Akio rolled his eyes.

"It's not like I hated you, I just didn't want you near my daughter. But hey! We warmed up right?" He said, giving a wink.

"And yet, suddenly, I'm regretting that."

"Hey!" Akio jolted, pointing his finger at the dark haired man. "Less of that, or I'll tell Nagisa that it was you who ate the last of the anpan the other night."

"Yeah, well I'll tell Sanae that you, yet again, took a nap on her freshly made bread," retorted Tomoya. Akio's eyes widened.

"How did you know about that?!"

"My wife saw you," Tomoya chuckled.

"We should have never let her work with us again," Akio wept.

"Okay, how's about I tell Nagisa that?" Akio's eyes widened once more.

"You wouldn't! You can't!"

"Face it old man, you've met your match." Tomoya stretched back as he brought his cup of tea to his lips. Taking a sip, he gave a sly wink to his father-in-law.

"Alright, you win," Akio responded. He brought his head into his hands as he began to sulk, still waiting for his parfait.

* * *

><p>'I've quit my job' was the first thing said that morning as Kaito greeted Rin in the kitchen. "You've quit?" She asked.<p>

"Yeah, that's what I just said." Kaito retorted, taking a seat at the small table in the middle of the room. Rin turned to a simmering pot as she turned the heat down. Turning back towards Kaito she walked over to the table, perching on the end besides Kaito. "Is that really what you want?"

"That job did nothing for me," Kaito muttered. "It's always held me back, I hated it. The work, the people, the way it made me feel." Rin gave a slow nod before she spoke.

"Well, if you think it was the right thing to do then I'm all for it," she smiled. Kaito nodded at her.

"Thanks, Rin," he said, giving one his rare, genuine smiles.

"I'm just worried about money," she admitted, "how are you on that end?"

"Not bad," Kaito stated. "I've always had savings, the only money I spent was what I earned from work, and then it just went on food, smokes and alcohol."

"Of course," Rin replied, nodding her head. "It's just, and I don't want to come across as rude - you know you're always welcome her-," She said.

"Just say it Rin," Kaito interrupted. Rin gave a nod.

"If you're going to keep staying here then I'm going to need some help with the food and that kind of stuff."

"I was actually going to tell you," Kaito said, folding his arms. Rin raised an eyebrow.

"Tell me what?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow," Kaito replied. Rin went quiet, she took a step back as she noticed the heat had built up again under the pot. "Maybe you should turn that down?" Kaito suggested. Rin moved over to it as she once again turned the heat down. As the bubbling contents simmered, she turned back towards Kaito.

"Leaving, like, leaving here ... or leaving." Kaito gave a sigh.

"Leaving town," Kaito stated. "I'm going to go visit this relative, after that ... I don't know. I might come back."

"Might?" Rin echoed, folding her arms as she stood straight. Kaito nodded, he pulled his gaze away from Rin as he rummaged through his shirt's chest pocket. Pulling out two cigarettes, he handed one to Rin. She took it, and as Kaito held out his ignited lighter she lit it. They both inhaled and exhaled in sync, Kaito gave a slight cough as he spoke.

"I was going to ask," he uttered. Rin looked over at him. "Would you come with me? To see my relative?" Rin took another pull on her cigarette as she flicked ash from it, letting it fall into her sink.

"Are you sure you would want me to come?" Rin asked.

"Only if you want to, I mean I'm not imposing on your work or anything."

"Right, my work," Rin muttered, giving a sharp nod. Kaito chuckled at her.

"I don't even know where you work."

"Here and there," Rin replied. Kaito nodded as Rin shook her head, brushing him off. "Anyway, can I just ask, with you leaving. What happens with your doctor? Don't you need to see him? And the support groups I mea-"

"Already sorted it," Kaito replied. "I told my doctor that I'm not going to the group meetings anymore and that I no longer wish to see him, he wasn't happy but there's nothing he can do about it. Especially since I'm not longer living with Takeshi."

"Why did you do that?" Rin sighed.

"As I said, I don't know if I'm gonna come back, how long I'll be and that. Really, I can only help myself, but, you know I wouldn't mind the support."

"Of course," Rin replied, "I will think about it, I promise."

"Thanks," Kaito nodded. He shook his head as he got up from his seat. "Anyway, I should probably get a shower."

"Sure," Rin smiled. Kaito gave a nod as he left the kitchen and headed upstairs. Rin leant against the kitchen counter as she gave a sigh. A bubbling sound rose up from behind her as she spun around, returning to her simmering pot.

* * *

><p>The door to the Furukawa bakery slid open as an elderly customer exited the shop, closing the door behind them. Nagisa had just waved the customer off as she turned back towards the rest of the room. Bread stalls were neatly organised throughout, showcasing all of the bread available for the day. At the opposite end, facing Nagisa, was her mother Sanae; stood behind the counter. "It's usually busier than this," Nagisa sighed as she fiddled with her apron; a group of Dangos were printed across it.<p>

"I'm sure it will pick up soon," Sanae smiled. She wore a simple, white apron over her clothes. It was covered in flour, masking the printing underneath.

"I hope so," Nagisa replied as she leant on the counter next to her mother. "I just can't believe it's gotten to the point that you've let dad take the whole day off."

"I'm used to him sneaking off anyway, you know that." Sanae chuckled, Nagisa gave a nod; her two strands of perturbing hair bounced up and down as she did. "Besides. we both agreed that he and Tomoya could use a talk."

"About?" Nagisa asked. Sanae raised her eyebrows, letting on at her daughter. Nagisa knew instantly. "Right, Ushio and Satoru."

"Nagisa, we all know that Tomoya hasn't been the friendliest to Satoru."

"I know," Nagisa sighed. Sanae gave a smile as she approached her daughter. Placing her arm around Nagisa she squeezed her tight.

"Don't worry sweetheart, everything will work out, it always does." Sanae chirped.

"I hope so," Nagisa uttered, moving over to the front door of the bakery. She peered out through the large glass door, looking onwards at the local park. She could see two familiar figures sat out on a bench, Ushio and Satoru.

* * *

><p>Ushio held her legs up to her chest as she perched on the old wooden bench that she and Satoru were sat on. Satoru had his arms stretched out behind his head as his feet pointed out straight. The morning sun shone down on them as they overlooked the rest of the small park. "So you used to come here a lot?" Satoru asked, shifting his bright green eyes towards Ushio. She gave a nod. "Who with?" He asked.<p>

"Just friends and family," Ushio replied. "My mom, dad, Aki, Sanae, Yumi, Takeshi, Kumiko, Juni ... Kaito." Ushio went quiet as she allowed her chin to rest on the top of her bare knees; the skirt she was wearing slipped down just past them. Satoru gave a cough as he turned his head to face her.

"Are ..." he paused for a moment as Ushio held her gaze in front. "Are you still worried about him?" Satoru asked.

"Kaito?" Ushio uttered, still looking ahead.

"Well, yeah. I mean you made a point the other day that you needed to see your friends to discuss it, I never did hear what happened with that." He gave an uneasy laugh. "I was just curious if you guys were able to sort anything out is all." Ushio gave a sigh as she looked to the man.

"Is that actually the truth? Or are you just checking up on me?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Satoru questioned.

"I mean, are you just making sure that I'm not wanting to see Kaito and the others over you."

"Don't be like that," Satoru sighed. "You know I love you and I just want to spend time with you."

"I know," Ushio nodded. She brought her gaze towards the ground. "I do appreciate that, honestly. It's just sometimes I need to be with my friends, we've spoken about this."

"Right," Satoru nodded. "Though you worrying about people, that you don't have to be concerned about, makes me worried about you."

"They're my friends," Ushio sighed.

"Sometimes there's just nothing you can do, though, Ushio." Stated Satoru. "Sometimes you shouldn't do anything."

"Kaito's been depressed for a long time over Juni. Takeshi has tried to help but to no avail, which has made him really upset. Now Yumi and I are caught in the middle and you don't want me to worry?" Ushio's voice went weak. "I am worried Satoru, I know there's nothing I can do, I'm aware of that. This is Kaito's problem, I even said that myself to Yumi and Takeshi. That doesn't stop me from being worried." Tears came to the corners of her eyes as Satoru moved in closer to her, placing his arm around her. Ushio hung her head.

"I'm sorry," Satoru whispered. "I didn't mean anything bad, you know I'm just trying to look out for you, you know, like I always did in college?" Ushio gave a weak nod as she wiped her tears with her sleeve.

"I know, I'm sorry I've been so hard on you."

"It's okay Ushio," Satoru smiled, "honestly." Ushio leant her head against the man's chest. "I just want you to be okay."

"I know," Ushio repeated in a muffled tone. She pulled away from him as he tilted his head, raising an eyebrow.

"Ushio, can I ask you something, and promise me you won't get angry with me." Ushio gave a small cough as she wiped her eyes again.

"Okay," she nodded.

"I know they're your friends but throughout college you barely spoke to any of them right?" Ushio held her upset expression. "You spent college so far apart, why should you concern yourself so much with their problems now?" Ushio shook her head.

"You know what happened before we all left. We all had to deal with things in our own ways. They're still my friends, every one of them." Satoru gave a slow nod.

"Okay," he uttered. "Okay, I do understand that. I just wish you'd let me have more of a part in that, I want to help, to make sure you're okay."

"This is just something I need to do myself, I need you to respect that," Ushio replied. Satoru gave another nod.

"I do."

"I'm glad, so can we let that be that then?" Ushio asked.

"Yeah, as long as we're okay moving forward, together." Satoru said as Ushio gave a smile. Deep down, however, she wasn't so sure of his words.

* * *

><p>Tomoya and Akio made their way through one of the small streets of Hikarizaki. Akio had finished his parfait earlier that morning and Tomoya would not let him forget it. "Parfaits ... parfaits, after all this time, still parfaits?"<p>

"I'm don't have to listen to you, kid." Akio mumbled as he kept his eyes forward, not wanting to meet those of his son-in-law's.

"You don't have to," Tomoya scoffed, he gave a grin as he walked beside the other man. "I just never realised you were so sentimental."

"No way!" Akio cried as he came to a stop. Tomoya gave a confused look as he spoke.

"Did I upset you?" He asked. Akio pointed in front of him.

"No! That does though!" Tomoya looked in the direction of Akio's outstretched arm. At the other end was a small, closed shop. A sign above it labelled it as a toy shop. The windows appeared boarded up, not a single light could be seen through them. "I can't believe they closed it!" Akio wept.

"A toy shop?" Tomoya uttered, "You brought me out here to go to a toy shop?"

"It's great! You remember? We came here ages ago!"

"Nope, I don't remember," Tomoya replied coldly, folding his arms. Akio gave a deep sigh, turning his head to the left and then to the right, he looked to make sure the two of them were alone. The rest of the area was fairly run down as well, it appeared as if time had forgotten this little portion of the Hikarizaki.

"If you don't remember, boy." Akio said in a deep voice, "Then maybe this will jog your memory!" He yelled as he suddenly jolted around, whipping out a small object and throwing it towards Tomoya. It landed a few inches in front of the dark haired man. Akio gave a laugh as Tomoya leant down and picked it up. It was a small hilt, inside Tomoya could see several cylinder-shaped bits of plastic, all stacked within each other. As Tomoya looked up, an armed Akio with an ignited blade came darting towards him. Tomoya gave a sigh as he whipped the object allowing the harmless, toy blade to leave it's casing. Akio lunged forward as Tomoya defended across his chest. Countering, Tomoya jabbed towards Akio's stomach, yet the old man as too quick. He spun around, dropping down beneath Tomoya's blow as he blocked it. The two swords locked on to each other as the two warriors pushed towards the other. "Impressive," Akio muttered.

"I thought I told you never to surprise me with this again!" Growled Tomoya. Akio gave a wink as he pulled away. He lunged towards Tomoya again. Tomoya knocked away the incoming attack, pushing the other man away from him. One handed, Tomoya held his weapon out. "Guess I don't have a choice right?"

"Nope!" Akio roared, jumping towards Tomoya. The two blades locked onto each other again as Tomoya and Akio were brought into close quarters, face to face.

"Your powers are weak old man," Tomoya hissed.

"You'll find I'm full of surprises!" Akio replied. Tomoya shook his head.

"You're doing the wrong quotes again!"

"Say's you!" Akio bellowed as he grabbed the hilt of Tomoya's blade, holding it downwards.

"Let go!" Tomoya cried, Akio was relentless. He kicked Tomoya in the leg as the man cried out in pain, letting go of his weapon. "What the hell?!"

"Done and ..." Akio laughed as he struck Tomoya on the back with his sword. "Dusted!" Akio finished, retracting the two weapons and placing them back in his coat.

"You cheated!" Tomoya huffed.

"No, I never said you weren't allowed to kick, did I?"

"No, you didn't, bu-"

"But what kid?" Akio smirked. "You're just sore because an 'old man' beat ya!"

"No, I'm sore because you kicked me in the leg!" Tomoya retorted. Akio gave a smile as spoke.

"I won anyway so now you have to talk." Tomoya held his hands out as if grasping for something.

"What the hell about?!" Tomoya yelled.

"Bring it down kid, people are trying to sleep around here." Akio chuckled.

"There's no one here, you think they would have said something if they were, we just had a fight with some toy lightsabers." Tomoya replied. "Oh yeah, and did you have those on you all day?"

"So what if I did?"

"You need help, I told Nagisa you needed to be put in a home." Tomoya stated.

"You did not!" Akio gasped.

"Well no, I didn't. But I'm thinking about it now!" Tomoya huffed, rubbing his leg.

"Look, kid," Akio said as he approached Tomoya, placing his arm on Tomoya's shoulder, he smiled. "I just want to talk to you."

"About what?" Tomoya asked, still rather annoyed. Akio gave a roll of his eyes.

"Ushio." He said. Tomoya let out a sigh.

"Not this again," Tomoya replied, shaking his head.

"Sanae and I thought that it'd be good for you to get this stuff off of your chest."

"I suppose," Tomoya nodded.

"We've just been worried is all, no biggie," Akio admitted. "We can just tell you're not too happy about the situation right now."

"That's a no brainer really ..." Tomoya sighed. Akio chuckled at his words.

"You don't like the kid that's going out with your daughter, that's normal." Akio said. Tomoya raised an eyebrow.

"Didn't we have this conversation earlier?"

"Yeah, but you wiggled out of that one didn't you?" Akio smirked. Tomoya gave a nod.

"Well, I learnt from the best." Tomoya grinned. Akio gave a laugh. He cleared his throat before speaking again.

"You want to know my opinion on all of this, what I think?" Akio asked. Tomoya studied the man for a moment, then he gave a slow nod. "I think you really liked that kid from a few years back."

"Who?"

"You know, Ushio's old boyfriend." Akio said.

"What, Kaito Sakumoto?" Tomoya muttered.

"Yeah, Nagisa told us you had him over for dinner a few weeks ago, a little surprise for Ushio right?"

"That's all it was," Tomoya laughed. Akio folded his arms.

"I get that, but we're you thinking something might happen between the two?"

"No, no don't be stupid." Tomoya gave a sigh. "Nagisa and I knew that Kaito had it hard before, I bumped into him a few times after Ushio left but we never knew what happened to him." Tomoya had a small smile on his face. "Nagisa saw him in the supermarket and invited him over, it was good timing to be honest."

"I see," nodded Akio. The man had taken up a rather serious persona. "You were worried about him then?"

"At the time sure." Tomoya nodded, "He was a good kid, always treated Ushio well, he was polite, we liked having him around."

"I think you wanted to keep him around because you saw a lot of yourself in him," Akio remarked.

"I don't know, a bit I suppose."

"Well, from what I've heard about the kid you two sound pretty similar. You've both been through the same kind of stuff right?"

"Well yeah, bu-"

"It's okay," Akio interrupted. "I mean, Sanae and I did the same with you."

"You did?" Tomoya asked. Akio grinned.

"We liked having you around too," he nodded. A smile came over Tomoya's face. "I know you liked that Kaito kid, Ushio's friends were a good lot. I also know that Satoru pisses you off from time to time." Akio stated. Tomoya remained quiet. "But Tomoya, if Ushio's happy then you've gotta bite the bullet. It's what being a father's about. You gotta protect your kid, but sometimes you just have to step back." Akio finished. Tomoya placed his hands in his pockets as he thought for a moment. Giving a nod he spoke.

"Yeah, you're right." Akio gave a chuckle.

"Don't worry about it, it's not like they're having kids or anything!"

"Don't joke about that old man," Tomoya huffed as he walked away. Akio followed as he continued to make his son-in-law even more uncomfortable.

* * *

><p>Kaito and Rin sat across from each other on Rin's small table. A large pot of chilli and rice sat between them as Rin grabbed a large spoonful and placed it on her plate. "Thanks for making this by the way," Rin said. Kaito looked up from his bowl. He had been stuffing his face prior.<p>

"No worries," Kaito mumbled, "you can get this stuff in tins. I'm not a professional," he smiled. Rin gave a laugh as she tucked in.

"It's tasty anyway, so you could've fooled me into thinking you'd made it," she gave a sly wink, "course that would be dishonest." Kaito raised an eyebrow.

"And as we know, I'm the most honest person there is." He replied.

"Maybe, you've always come across as being more blunt than completely honest. You're brutally honest I suppose," she chuckled.

"Well, you're not the first to have said that." Kaito muttered, chewing through his food.

"Yeah, well I'd like to think I know you pretty well by now." Rin said, giving Kaito a sweet smile. Kaito placed his fork down.

"Right, but I don't know much about you do I?" Kaito asked. Rin's eye fell from Kaito's gaze.

"I've told you everything, haven't I?"

"Not really, I mean, I don't know where you work; if you work. I don't know about your family or anything. I don't even know much about your bi-polar thing-"

"I really don't like it when you call it a thing." Rin interrupted.

"Sorry, it's just I really don't know anything about it. Why so secretive?" Kaito laughed.

"Why so curious?" Rin retorted in a sharp manner. Kaito gave a shrug, looking down to the table he thought for a moment. Bringing his gaze back towards her, he spoke.

"You've taken such an interest in me and my life, why can't I with yours?" Kaito asked, " Since I've known you we've only really talked about what's happened with me."

"I really don't understand Kaito, do you think I'm hiding something?" Rin asked, uneasily.

"I'm not saying anything like that." Kaito sighed. "I dunno, whenever I ask, well, you brush it off. I've never seen you take any medication, you've been pretty consistent in yourself since I've been here, as far as any normal person would be and I know it's only been a few days but still."

"Kait-"

"You've never gone out to work or anything, I don't see any family pictures anywhere. This place is bare, why don't yo-"

"Stop it!" Rin yelled as Kaito went quiet. He had to admit it himself, he may have pushed her a bit too far. Rin's face was rather red. "I don't have to tell you anything okay?" Rin said. "I've let you stay here, I've cooked for you and I took care of you the morning after you tried to stick a broken bottle in someone's throat." Rin's breaths became rather deep, Kaito looked on at her. "Maybe you forgot that?"

"No, I didn't." Kaito replied softly. "Rin, I just want to help a bit, be involved, like you have with me."

"I don't need you." Rin sighed. Kaito gave a sharp nod. Rin shook her head as she got up from her seat. "Sorry, I just want to head to bed."

"It's only 7," Kato mumbled.

"I need an early night." Rin replied, wiping her eyes.

"Sorry," Kaito uttered. Rin nodded as she walked past him and out of the kitchen. Kaito sighed to himself. He stared into the large bowl of chilli that sat in front of him. Chilli? he thought to himself. What was I thinking?

* * *

><p>It had gone 12 pm, Ushio and Satoru were still up in her bedroom as she sat at her desk, sketching out a picture. Satoru sat on Ushio's futon, scrolling through something on his phone. As she brought pencil to paper, Ushio began to hum a song. "Hmmhm, hmm, hmm, hmhm, hmhm, hmm, hmm ... Daikazoku."<p>

"What's that?" Satoru asked, looking up from his phone.

"What was what?" Ushio asked, still focused on her drawing.

"What did you just say?" Satoru chuckled, getting to his feet.

"Oh, I was just humming a song."

"What song?" Satoru made his way over to Ushio as he stood beside her desk, looking over the drawing.

"It doesn't matter," smiled Ushio as she got up from her seat. "Shall we go to bed?" She asked. The two were already in their pyjamas and were ready to go to sleep. Satoru nodded as he turned out the light and they both climbed into the futon. Satoru took off his shirt, allowing his large chest and hardened stomach to show. He wrapped his arm around Ushio as she faced away from him, curling up under the covers. They both laid there for a short while, Ushio's eyes were closed as Satoru look out into the darkness of the room. A streak of light, from the lamppost outside, trickled in through the window. Satoru could see three large, round, plushies sat on top of each other in one corner. He smiled as he spoke.

"Ushio?" He whispered.

"Yeah?" Ushio uttered, stirring ever so slightly. Satoru stroked a strand of hair from her face.

"Do you ever think about the future? You know, what you're going to be doing later down the line and that?" Satoru asked. Ushio slowly rolled onto her front, looking up at Satoru.

"What, like work?" She asked with a yawn. "I want to be an art teacher, you know that."

"No, I mean ... well, family-wise." Satoru said. Ushio gave another yawn.

"I don't know. I suppose I'd want to stay in Hikarizaki, with my family. I think that would be nice to do when I have kids. Everyone could be really close you know?"

"Yeah," Satoru nodded.

"I could work at Hikarizaki private, Kouko did the same."

"Kouko?" Satoru asked. Ushio gave a smile.

"Family friend," she replied. Satoru nodded. "You?"

"I really like it here." Satoru said. "Hikarizaki, being here with you and your family. Well, it's lovely isn't it?"

"Of course," Ushio remarked, "it's home."

"I'd like it to be my home."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we're adults Ushio. I mean we've been together for a while. We've known each other for more than three years." Satoru smiled, brushing his hand over Ushio's shoulder. "I mean, we're not kids. I can say confidently that I want you to be a part of my future."

"Sato-"

"I love you. You love me. I want to be here, with you, all the time." He said, giving a smile. Ushio rose up from her relaxed position, Satoru did the same, meeting her level.

"Are you saying you want to live here?" Ushio asked. Satoru shook his head.

"Not just that," he chuckled. "We could get married, have kids, spend the rest of our lives here." Ushio gave an uneasy laugh.

"Satoru, don't you think that's a little ... fast?"

"Not at all, I know what I want, I want you to marry me Ushio." Satoru went quiet for a moment, as did Ushio. "I mean, you want that too right?" Ushio let out a sigh. Satoru's voice became a soft whisper. "You don't have to decide yet."

"It's ... well, it's ..." Ushio couldn't find her words.

"It's what?" Satoru asked. Ushio looked at him.

"It's a big decision," she said, "there's things to think about."

"I know, like I said, you don't have to decide yet." Satoru smiled. Ushio nodded as he gestured with his arm for her to join him under the covers again. "Goodnight," he whispered.

"Good night," Ushio replied. Satoru fell soundly asleep that night. However, Ushio's eyes remained wide open. She found herself constantly staring over at her desk, on top of which lay her drawing. It was a drawing of herself along with her friends, Yumi, Takeshi, Kumiko, Juni and Kaito.

* * *

><p>A soft knock came from Rin's bedroom door. As she turned over in bed, she looked at her clock. 11:45 AM. Giving a groan, she called out. "Just a minute Kaito."<p>

"Okay," a muffled voice called back. Pulling herself out of her bed, Rin made for the back of her door. She took her violet dressing gown down and pulled it on. As she opened the door, she was met with a fully dressed Kaito. "Hey," he said, giving a smile.

"Morning," Rin yawned. Her long, dark hair was a mess from sleeping, her eyes were red from ... well, what Kaito could guess, crying.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Just tired," Rin shrugged. Kaito nodded, folding his arms, he leant against the open doorway of Rin's room.

"Look, I'm sorry about yesterday." He said, "It's your business, I get that."

"Kaito, it-"

"I probably pushed you a bit far right? I mean you have been really good to me so, I am sorry." Kaito sighed, Rin gave a nod as she smiled at the man.

"Thanks, Kaito." She replied.

"If you don't want to come today then you don't have to. I mean, I'm already packed so really I'm just waiting on you," he chuckled. "But it's okay, really."

"Kaito," Rin sighed, "I will come."

"Great," Kaito smiled. Rin held out her arm, placing her hand on Kaito's shoulder.

"Before, though, I need to tell you something." Tracing her hand down to his; she pulled him into her bedroom and sat him down on her bed. She stood there in front of him, arms folded, looking down.

"What is it?" Kaito asked, rather confused. Rin let out a sigh as she spoke.

"You were right ... I haven't been completely honest with you." Kaito raised an eyebrow at her.

"Okay, so what is it?"

"I'm going to tell you, I just need you to promise you won't be mad because it's really hard." Rin croaked. Kaito shrugged.

"You know I can't promise that Rin. Just tell me." Rin gave a nod. She made her way next to Kaito as she sat down. Hands in her lap, eyes focused on them she began to speak.

"I'm not actually bipolar." Rin said. Kaito brought his hand to his head as he rubbed it. "When I was younger, my mom was in a pretty bad accident. She was at work, she fell down some stairs and, well, she was paralyzed from the waist down." A tear came to Rin's eye. Kaito remained in his position. "She got a lot of money for it, which is how I don't have to work or anything."

"Right," nodded Kaito. Rin looked up at him.

"The money doesn't matter, not then and not now." Rin let out a sigh. "It wasn't enough to help my mom. You see, besides me she was alone."

"Your dad?"

"He left when I was really young, I don't even know how old." Rin cleared her throat. "So, my mom became really depressed. She wouldn't talk to me or anything. So her doctor recommended her to a ... support group."

"I see," Kaito nodded.

"I went along with her, he thought it would be good for me." She brushed her hand across her face, wiping away her tears."It was around this time my mom was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder. She'd have really good highs and really bad lows. Suicidal thoughts ..." Rin let out a sigh, "You know what that's like."

"I do."

"She ended up overdosing on her pills. It was way too late when I found her." Rin began to cry, however, she still thought back her tears. "I was in a bad way Kaito. So, I took on her disorder as a way of, well I don't know. I guess I convinced myself that I had it, that way I could keep going to those meetings, I was pretty reliant on them ... I'm not entirely sure why."

"I can see that, company, help and all that." Kaito remarked.

"Right," nodded Rin. "So I did that for a while, then, well ... then I met you." Kaito turned her way, Rin was looking right at him. "You've been my first real friend for a long, long time." Rin smiled, "I do feel like I can tell you things, you've made an effort with me and I feel like I can be close with you Kaito."

"But you lied Rin, from the moment we first met you've been lying." Kaito said, leaving her gaze.

"I know, I'm sorry but things have been har-"

"Things have been hard for me too," Kaito interrupted as he stood up from the bed. "You know everything about me, I've told you everything. You only tell me now out of what? Guilt?"

"I- I-"

"I'm sorry Rin," Kaito said, shaking his head. "I'm going to go now, I don't want you to come." Kaito went to leave the room as Rin followed.

"Kaito, please," she uttered. Kaito had grabbed his bags as he made his way downstairs and approached the front door. Rin grabbed his arm as he was about to open it. "What can I do to fix this?" She asked. Kaito turned to her, tears in his eyes.

"You can't do anything Rin." Kaito replied. He opened the door, stepping outside he spoke again. "I'm the only one that can fix things now, I know that." Kato wiped his eyes as he gave a weak smile. "I'm sorry I ever got you involved in any of this." With that, Kaito briskly walked out onto the road, leaving Rin behind, alone with her thoughts.

* * *

><p>Kaito's duffle bag was slung over his shoulder. His large jacket was zipped up to his neck and his boots banged heavily as he walked down the street. His dark eyes had turned red, his hair was messy and a large portion of stubble covered his chin. This was, of course, how he usually looked. A drifter, not feeling as if he belonged anywhere. He marched forwards, head straight and keeping a focused gaze. The local park came into view as he let out a sigh. Coming to a stop, he thought for a moment. Do I really want to do this? If I do, there's no going back. He thought, contemplating with himself, he gave a sharp nod. He pursued his route, making his way past the Furukawa bakery and along towards the Okazaki residence. As he came up to the door, he placed his clenched fist out and knocked on it. A moment passes and the door opened. There, in front of Kaito, stood a well-built, red-haired young man. "Kaito?" The man asked.<p>

"Satoru ..." Kaito sighed.

"What do you want?" Satoru asked, folding his arms. Kaito cleared his throat.

"I'm just here to see Ushio for a minute."

"What about?" Questioned Satoru. Kaito rolled his eyes.

"Look, just let me see her."

"I'm not stopping you, just curious." As Kaito was about to speak, Ushio came up behind Satoru.

"Kaito?" She uttered. Satoru stepped aside from the door, allowing Kaito to see Ushio in full.

"Hey," he nodded.

"Are you okay?" She asked, Kaito shook his head.

"No, I was just, just wanting to speak with you for a moment." He replied. Ushio nodded, turning to Satoru, she spoke.

"Can you give us a minute please?" She asked, Satoru nodded. He looked to Kaito, locking onto him for a second, then he turned and headed inside. Ushio pulled the front door to a close as she stepped outside, next to Kaito. "What's wrong?"

"I, well I was just thinking who I should say goodbye to, you're the only person that I thought I could face."

"Goodbye?" Ushio uttered, "why, where are you going?" Kaito shook his head.

"That doesn't matter Ushio. I'm leaving town for a while, I'm not sure how long."

"Takeshi said you were staying with Rin and that you had something's to do, I didn't know that meant you'd be leaving." Ushio sighed. Kaito shrugged.

"I just, I can't stay around here any longer. Not like this, not the way I am." Kaito cleared his throat. "Look, if you could just tell the others, and tell them not to worry then I'd appreciate it."

"Of course," she nodded. "Kaito, I ..."

"Ushio, you don't have to say anything." Kaito let out a sigh. "We've got history, it speaks for itself." Ushio nodded at his words. "I did miss you a lot though, just so you know."

"I missed you too," Ushio said in her gentle tone.

"I'm sorry things ended the way they did."

"Kai-"

"No, Ushio, you were always there for me. I really appreciate that. Things should've gone differently. I, I am sorry." Ushio smiled at the man.

"It's okay, I forgave you a long time ago." She replied, Kaito gave a nod.

"Well, I guess this is it."

"I do hope you're okay, Kaito." Ushio said as she held her arms out. Kaito nodded as he embraced her. Letting go, the two smiled.

"I'll see you." Kaito said, turning around. He began to walk down the drive as Ushio called out.

"Kaito," she said. He turned to face her.

"Yeah?" Ushio made her way over as she kept a quiet tone.

"I want to tell you, I need to tell someone." Ushio stated. Kaito raised an eyebrow as Ushio spoke. "Satoru asked me to marry him," she said, giving an uneasy smile. Kaito let out a sigh as he looked to the ground. "I don't know what to do, I know my dad doesn't want it, I'm not sure about my m-"

"What do you want?" Kaito asked. Ushio went quiet.

"I don't know," she admitted. Kaito shrugged.

"Just be happy Ushio, that's what I always wanted for you." Kaito smiled, Ushio nodded. Kaito turned away again, leaving Ushio behind. Ushio looked on at him, watching him walk away. She gave a sigh as she went back inside her house, closing the door on the world outside.

* * *

><p>As Kaito sat at the bus stop at the top of town, he looked back on Hikarizaki. The midday sun shone down on it, from here, it looked rather pleasant. He wondered what things would be like when he returned, If I return, he thought. A hissing sound came up from behind him as a large bus pulled up at its stop. Kaito, duffle bag in hand, made his way towards it. As he got to his seat, he sat down. Looking out the window, the town began to move past him, leaving him. Kaito leant his head against the window of the bus, he shut his eyes and began to drift off. Deeper and deeper, he drifted into his dreams, readily awaiting what would soon come his way.<p>

**~*61*~**


	62. Unsure Unity

**Twitter: Ushio_EverAfter - For updates and occasional character art.**

**~*62*~**

"You're getting married?!" Yelled Yumi and Takeshi. They were sat in a local cafe, the place was rather busy. Ushio sat opposite them, attempting to keep them quiet.

"Keep it down!" She cried, "I didn't say that."

"Oh," Yumi uttered, "but you're engaged."

"No, Satoru proposed that's all." Ushio sighed. Takeshi gave a smile.

"Well, congrats Ushio, I'm sure you guys will be happy."

"Thanks Takeshi," Ushio said, returning his smile. Takeshi cleared his throat before speaking.

"Why don't I get some drinks in? This place does some nice wine, I know it's early days but still."

"Sure," Yumi nodded. Ushio gave a nod as Takeshi left the table, making his way over to a small bar area that sat in the corner of the cafe. Ushio brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as Yumi looked on at her. Their eyes met as Ushio gave an uneasy laugh.

"What?" She asked. Yumi rested her head on her palm as she spoke.

"You are happy, right?" She asked.

"Of course, Yumi why would you ask me that?" Ushio questioned. Yumi gave a shrug.

"You've seemed a little off lately, especially the past week or so," stated Yumi.

"Maybe ..." Ushio uttered.

"Is it everything with Satoru? Or is it Kaito leaving town, I mean he's been gone for what? A week nearly?"

"Yeah," nodded Ushio. Yumi folded her arms as she thought for a moment.

"Is something bothering you at home?"

"Not really," Ushio replied. Yumi gave a sigh.

"Something's up Ushio, I know it."

"I'm telling you Yumi, I'm okay, honest," Ushio laughed, holding her usual, beaming smile. Yumi shook her head as she gave a smile.

"You're always looking out for others aren't you?" Yumi said, Ushio's smile slowly disappeared. "As long as I've known you, you've always wanted to please others, make other people happy." She gave a sigh. "Even at the expense of yourself, right? Even if you end up unhappy?"

"I don't really know what you're getting at," Ushio admitted.

"It's weird, being home, isn't it?" Yumi asked, "being home with all of you. I mean did we all think it was going to be how it was? As if we hadn't all spent three years apart."

"I don't know."

"We've all changed Ushio, maybe you need to." Ushio became rather cross at her friend.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ushio asked, Yumi gave a sweet smile.

"Ushio, I'm not trying to insult you or anything," Yumi said as Ushio held her gaze. "You're my best friend, I just want you to be okay. It's not a crime for you to be selfish sometimes."

"Wait, are you referring to Satoru, Kaito or my family?"

"Just in general," Yumi smiled. "You have to decide your own path Ushio, even if other people disagree or are disappointed or even hurt." Yumi gave a shrug, "I just want you to be happy of course," Yumi's voice became rather soft, "If Satoru is who you truly wish to spend your life with, then go for it. But you should never have any doubts about that kind of thing."

"Yumi ..."

"If you do want to talk, I'm here. Just promise me you won't do something you'll regret."

"It's not like I have to decide my entire life right now, I'm twenty one, we all have plenty of time right?"

"Still, we do have to consider what's best for ourselves, not just what's going to make other people happy ... You just don't seem as happy anymore."

"I am happy," Ushio stated. Yumi gave a weak smile.

"I hope so Ushio, you deserve it." They shared a gaze as Ushio smiled.

"I see Takeshi's being friendly," she said, pointing over to the man. Yumi spun around, locking on to Takeshi's position. He was stood at the bar, talking with a rather attractive young woman. Yumi gave a huff as she called over.

"Hey Fujimoto!" Takeshi's eye darted towards Yumi. "Get a move on!" Takeshi gave a roll of his eyes as he bid the woman farewell and made his way over to the table. He held a large bottle in one hand and three glasses in the other.

"She was nice," Takeshi muttered as he sat down with his two friends.

"I'm sure she was," Yumi sighed. Takeshi gave a cough.

"Anyway, we've got some celebrating to do!" He laughed, "Right Ushio?"

"Right," nodded Ushio, giving a smile. Takeshi poured out three glasses as they began to drink. However, Ushio was distracted by Yumi's words. She knew her friend was right, maybe Ushio did need to change. Ushio shook her head, forgetting her thoughts ... for the time being.

* * *

><p>"Tomoya!" Akio yelled as he sat on top of the old wooden shed that lay in the back garden of the Furukawa bakery. "Pass me one of the shorter planks!" Tomoya gave a nod as he reached down to the pile of wood that sat at his feet. Reaching for a plank, he moved over to the shed and hoisted it up to Akio. "Good job," Akio chuckled as he took the plank and began to hammer it onto the roof of the shed.<p>

"I'm not a dog old man, you don't have to reaffirm that I'm doing a good job every time I pass you something!" Tomoya scoffed, looking up to the other man. The strong sunlight touched the top of Akio's head, igniting his fiery-red hair.

"I just don't want you to feel left out," replied Akio.

"Look, you're a little old right? Let me do the heavy stuff." Tomoya stated, "I'll swap places with you."

"Nah," Akio uttered, bringing his hammer down onto a nail. "You're not as precise as me."

"You're eye sight is getting worse, surely that makes me more precise." Tomoya sniggered, Akio lowered his hammer as he glared at the man.

"My eye sight is not getting worse," Akio replied.

"Please, I've seen your new glasses," retorted Tomoya. Akio's face went pale.

"How the hell do you know about those?!"

"Sanae showed me, they're pretty amazing," Tomoya chuckled, folding his arms. "Though I never thought red glasses would go with your hair, maybe I'm wrong?"

"Tsk, I'm beginning to wish you'd trade places with Satoru." Tomoya shook his head.

"No can do, the kids helping out Nagisa and Sanae in the bakery," Tomoya replied, rolling his eyes.

"I know that," muttered Akio, attempting to hammer another nail into the plank.

"You'd think he'd be the one doing this work, being a strapping young lad and all."

"Are you being sarcastic?" Akio asked, keeping his eyes fixed on the nail.

"Wouldn't dream of it, old man." Tomoya laughed, Akio shook his head as he swiftly brought the hammer down, missing the nail and hitting his thumb.

"Ow!" He cried, dropping the hammer as it slid off the roof, he brought his thumb to his mouth as he began to suck it.

"Want me to fetch your glasses?" Tomoya said, he began to laugh uncontrollably.

"I h-pe it h-t you on -ts way d-wn!" Akio mumbled, still sucking on his thumb.

* * *

><p>Satoru stood at the counter of the bakery, closing the till after he had just sold a loaf of bread. He wore one of Akio's old aprons. Sanae said farewell to the customer as they exited the shop. She turned to Satoru with a smile on her face. "We'll make a baker out of you yet," she jested. Satoru gave a chuckle.<p>

"I think I'd have to learn to bake first."

"If I can do it, you can," Sanae smiled. Satoru returned her smile as Sanae spoke. "Speaking of which, do you want to try one of these?" She asked, pointing to a full tray of small rolls that sat on one of the shelves. The bread was very colourful, sporting every colour you could think of. Satoru raised an eyebrow as Sanae picked up the tray.

"Has no one bought one yet?" Satoru asked.

"Not yet, but I'm sure they'll be gone in no time," she chuckled.

"Satoru, could you help me in here please?" Nagisa called from the bakery's kitchen.

"Uh- yeah, sure!" Satoru replied. "Nagisa calls," he laughed. Sanae gave a nod.

"I'll be waiting for you," she smiled. Satoru turned as he made his way into the back of the bakery. Nagisa stood there, leaning against the counter, she wore her usual apron with a printed pattern of Dangos. Her hair was tied back and flour covered her face.

"You needed my help?" Satoru asked as he entered the kitchen. Nagisa shook her head as she urged him to come closer.

"Don't tell my mom I said this," Nagisa whispered. "Avoid eating the bread that she was offering you." Nagisa's eyes looked rather sad as she said this, as if her conscious was fighting against her words.

"Why?"

"Well, we don't like telling her because it makes her upset you see," states Nagisa. "But, my mom has trouble baking. She asked me to try one of those earlier today, I didn't want to upset her so I did." Nagisa gave a sigh.

"And?"

"Just tell her you're full from lunch and you'll try one later. If you mention something about not depriving the customers of her bread she'll be sure to agree as well." Nagisa, brushed some flour of the end of her slim nose. Satoru cleared his throat before he spoke.

"But what if she asks me again later on?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," she chuckled. Satoru nodded.

"Thanks for the advice," he said.

"Anytime," Nagisa smiled. Satoru turned away and made his way back through to the shop floor. Sanae had just sold another loaf of bread, alas, her 'rainbow' bread remained shelved.

"There you are," she smiled as Satoru walked over. "Care to try my bread?"

"Erm, actually," he began, "I'm still quite full from lunch so I'm not very hungry. Also, you know, I- I'd hate to deprive the customers from your bre-"

"Nonsense," Sanae replied, shaking her head. "Just take a little bite," she said giving a smile. She grabbed one of the rolls. "Just a little one," Sanae repeated, edging the roll closer towards Satoru.

"Honestly, I couldn't," Satoru uttered, he felt himself began to sweat. _How horrible could it really be? _he thought to himself.

"It tastes great, honestly."

"E-erm, I-" Suddenly, the bakery door opened as Ushio came strolling inside. Satoru gave an uneasy laugh as he moved pass Sanae, approaching Ushio. "Hey, have a nice time?"

"Yeah, thanks." She nodded, looking to Sanae, who still held her bread - and her smiling face - she then looked back to Satoru. "What's going on?"

"I was just asking Satoru to try one of my bread rolls, you liked them didn't you Ushio?"

"Y-yeah, of course I did," Ushio nodded, her eyes shifted to Satoru.

"Satoru," Nagisa said as she poked her head through the archway at the back of the room. "Why don't you go take a bath? We'll be closing up soon and you've worked hard today," she smiled. Satoru looked over to her as he noticed Nagisa gesturing with her head, ever so slightly.

"Uh, yeah sure," he nodded. Giving Ushio a kiss on the cheek, he made his way to the back of the room, silently thanking Nagisa as he made his way up the stairs to take a bath.

"Why do I get the feeling that he didn't want to try my bread?" Sanae asked.

"He's probably not hungry," Nagisa said, giving a smile to her daughter. "How're you sweetie?"

"Okay thanks, where's dad and Aki?" Ushio asked, slipping off her shoes.

"They're in the back, fixing the old shed." Sanae said. Ushio gave a nod.

"Good," she replied, "I was wanting to talk to both of you." Sanae and Nagisa looked on at Ushio. They could see something weighed on her heavily.

"Okay," Nagisa smiled, leaning against the counter at the back of the room. Sanae moved over, standing next to her daughter. Ushio moved in closer to her relatives as she gave a sigh.

"Something's happened, with Satoru."

"Something bad?" Sanae asked, a worried expression came over her face. Ushio gave a laugh.

"No, no of course not." She smiled, Sanae nodded at her granddaughter, returning the smile. "Listen," she began in a hushed tone. "Last week, Satoru and I were talking ... he was asking me about the future and what I wanted ... and well, he-"

"He proposed?" Nagisa asked, fighting her grin. Sanae looked to her daughter and then to Ushio.

"Did he?" She asked. Ushio brought her finger to her lips, gesturing for the two to remain quiet.

"I don't want dad to know yet," she replied. The two nodded as they leant in closer. "He didn't exactly propose, he just said that that's what he wants - for us to marry." Ushio sighed, looking over her relatives. Nagisa and Sanae shared a gazed, looking back to Ushio, Nagisa spoke.

"Is that you want honey?" She asked, brushing a speck of flour off the end of her nose.

"I don't know. I mean, I've always guessed that would happen eventually, but doesn't it seem a bit rushed to you?"

"Your father and I married young," Nagisa smiled.

"As did your grandfather and I," Sanae added. Ushio gave a nod.

"But were you both so sure of what you wanted? I mean, you both loved them." Ushio uttered, folding her arms.

"Of course," the two replied. Ushio gave a nod as she went quiet. "Ushio," Nagisa said, placing her hands on Ushio's shoulders. Nagisa gave a warm smile to her daughter, her bright eyes shone as she looked on at Ushio. "If you're happy with Satoru, and you believe you'll always be happy then it's right. You shouldn't go into this with any doubt, we're talking about committing your life to another person."

"It is a big step," Sanae added, "If you don't feel ready for it then, if Satoru truly loves you, he will understand and wait for when the time is right."

"Exactly," agreed Nagisa. Ushio gave a nod as she hung her head. Nagisa embraced her daughter, squeezing her tightly. As they came apart, Nagisa gave a laugh. "Don't be so down Ushio, you'll be fine. No matter what you deicide, things will be okay."

"Thanks," Ushio smiled. "Listen, can I ask you both to keep this to yourselves for now? I don't think dad would understand." Ushio gave a sigh," I know he won't want me to."

"Honey, your dad has a problem that only he can deal with. If this is what you truly want, if you'll be happy, then you know he'll support you, of course he will." Nagisa replied. From the behind the archway at the back of the room, someone had been listening to the conversation at hand. It was Tomoya, listening to the last words of Nagisa, he shook his head. Tightly grasping a box of nails in one hand, he looked to the corridor that ran down to the back of the house. Looking to the stairs, he sighed. Slowly but surely, he dragged himself towards the stairs and making his way up them, he noticed someone at the end of the upstairs hallway. Satoru was just entering the bathroom, towel in hand.

"Satoru," Tomoya muttered, looking down the hallway. Satoru stopped before entering the bathroom, looking over to the man he spoke.

"Hey Tomoya," he replied. Tomoya looked down the floor as he began to mutter something.

"Listen, I er-" Tomoya let out a cough. "I just wanted to-"

"You okay?" Satoru asked, raising an eyebrow. Tomoya sighed again as he nodded.

"Yeah, you know what, it doesn't matter."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I need to get these to Akio anyway," he replied, shaking the box of nails in his hand. "Enjoy your bath kid," he said as he turned around and made his way down the steps. Satoru looked onwards, wondering what it was Tomoya had wanted ... he had never attempted to console him alone before _maybe he just wanted to grill me, _thought Satoru. With that, Satoru entered the bathroom, closing the door behind him and closing himself off from the rest of the household.

**~*62*~**


	63. On Satoru's Side

**Twitter: Ushio_EverAfter - For updates and occasional character art.**

**~*63*~**

The red-haired boy sat at his desk, pen in hand, writing down on the masses of paper that sat in front of him. His dark, green eyes lingered for a moment as he gave a yawn. Stretching his arms up, as if attempting to reach the skies, he got up off of his chair and made his way over to the long set of windows at the other side of the room. Looking out of them, he focused on the school courtyard below him. There was a large crowd of students, all gathered around several other students. The boy could see a lot of pushing and shoving going on. He sighed, knowing exactly who would be the cause of it. As he turned around and made his way back over to his desk, the door to the classroom he was in burst open. "Satoru!" another student yelled. The student, who was male, stood in the doorway at an average height with brown, short hair. The student's bright, blue eyes stared over at Satoru.

"Rio," Satoru said, giving his friend a nod. Satoru sat back down at his desk, picking up his pen he began to write again. "What's up?"

"What are you doing in here?"

"I'm studying," Satoru said, giving a stretch. "You?"

"Well, I was looking for you." Rio looked out of the doorway, into the corridor that was behind him. "It's Yukio," Rio said, turning his head back into the room. "He's at it again with Suya."

"Why does that surprise me?" Satoru asked, keeping his gaze fixed on the paper in front of him. Rio made his way over to Satoru. He placed his palm down on Satoru's work. Satoru raised his head and was greeted with a smile from Rio.

"Come and help him out yeah? Just this once."

"You say 'just this once' every time this happens. Look, the two have some issue, let Yukio deal with them." Satoru slid his friend's hand away as he focused back on his studies.

"Come on, look, we'll help out Yukio this last time and then we'll give him a good talking to. We'll make him promise not to mess around with Suya's girlfriend anymore, okay?" Rio suggested, attempting to come to an agreement with his friend.

"Rio, it's one week until our final exams, I'm not wasting my time with this."

"Just this one last time Satoru, please?" Rio thought for a moment as he was ignored by his friend. "Look, I'll help you with your math studies if you do this." Satoru looked up to Rio, rolling his eyes he gave a nod. "Nice one," Rio smiled. Satoru rose up from his chair as he made his way past Rio.

"I don't know why you bother with Yukio so much," Satoru muttered.

"He's our friend," Rio replied.

"If you say so."

* * *

><p>The school courtyard was filled with people as Satoru and Rio came outside. Among the chaos, they could make out their friend, Yukio, stood next to Suya; squaring up to each other. Yukio was rather tall, with wavy locks of dark hair, his eyes had a yellow tint to them. He was quite attractive. Suya on the other hand stood quite short of Yukio, yet his stocky build made up for his height. He had a short crop of brown hair which matched his dark eyes. "Where the hell are all the teachers?" Satoru asked as he and Rio made their way over to the crowd.<p>

"Probably drinking their coffee in the teacher's lounge."

"I swear, this school is slack," Satoru huffed.

"You're not wrong there," Rio agreed. As they pushed through the crowd, they came to middle of it. Yukio was stood there, yelling at Suya.

"I didn't do anything dumbass!" Yukio yelled, looking down at the dark-haired Suya. Suya was red from anger as he spat his words back at Yukio,

"Bullshit! I've heard from more than one person about you and Emiko!"

"I've told you nothing happened!" A girl, Emiko, shouted from the sidelines. Suya ignored her as he continued to curse at Yukio, which Yukio returned.

"Just smack him Suya!" Another student yelled. Yukio gave a laugh as he pushed Suya, Suya grew increasingly angry as he attempted to swing at Yukio. Suddenly, Satoru, who was rather stocky himself, stepped in front of Suya. Suya stopped his arm as he looked to Satoru.

"Get out of the way man," Suya hissed. Satoru shook his head as Yukio looked on at the two, as did the crowd of students who were suddenly rather quiet.

"Suya, we're all friends here. Calm down and let's talk okay?" Satoru suggested.

"Friends? Do you even know what's happened?!"

"Why don't you fill me in?" Satoru asked. Yukio popped his head in from behind Satoru.

"Suya reckons I've slept with Emiko." Satoru turned to Yukio, a crossed expression on his face.

"Shut up man, okay?" Satoru muttered. Yukio, held his hands up as he gave a shrug.

"There's a rumour going around that last Thursday, Yukio went around to Emiko's house and, wel-"

"Well, there you go." Satoru chuckled.

"You think this is funny?" Suya asked, still red in the face. Satoru shook his head as he placed a hand on Suya's shoulder.

"No, it's just, Yukio was at my house Thursday, he stopped over in fact since we were finishing that project for science." Satoru replied. Suya looked over to Yukio who gave another shrug.

"Then why the hell didn't you say that before?" Suya asked.

"You were acting like a right dick to me, so yanno, I thought I'd piss you off a bit," Yukio scoffed as Satoru shook his head in disapproval. He brought his voice down as he spoke to Suya again.

"I know Yukio can be a prick but honestly, you've got nothing to worry about man."

"You're not lying are you? To cover his back I mean?" Suya asked. Satoru shook his head.

"Come on Suya, we're friends okay? Just shake on it and let's let that be that."

"Yeah, come on we're good right?" Yukio asked, placing out a hand. Reluctantly, after some convincing from Satoru, Suya shook Yukio's hand. As the crowd dispersed, Suya apologised to Emiko, who, as she and Suya were walking away, exchanged a worried glance with Yukio. Yukio, Satoru and Rio were left alone, Satoru's face regained its crossed expression. "Well, that went well," Yukio laughed.

"We need a word," Satoru said in a raspy voice. Yukio raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Now."

"Okay, okay." Yukio sighed as he, Satoru and Rio all headed inside.

* * *

><p>"You're a fucking idiot, you know that?" Satoru said as he, Rio and Yukio stood in one of the old bathrooms of their school.<p>

"Oh, shut up man," Yukio scoffed, "I could've handled it myself."

"How? By fighting Suya?" Satoru asked, folding his arms. Rio stood off to the side of the two, he was perched on the edge of an old sink.

"Look, the guys a dick. No wonder Emiko wanted me over him," Yukio smirked. Satoru let his arms drop to his side, Rio remained quiet.

"You're actually going to do this?" Satoru asked, Yukio looked on. "I can't believe this, I just lied to Suya, not to mention half of the school, to get you out of the shit that you put yourself in." Satoru shook his head. "You're ungrateful man."

"Did I ask you to come? No."

"That's not the point, you were happy enough to go along with my lie weren't you?" Satoru yelled, "now Suya looks like a complete moron because of you."

"You're the one who lied to him," Yukio replied, placing his hands on his hips.

"Satoru stuck his neck out for you Yukio, again," interrupted Rio. Yukio looked over to his friend.

"Whatever."

"You've gotta stop this Yukio," Satoru said as he came closer to the boy. "All this messing around with Emiko, it's wrong and you know it."

"You're just jealous," Yukio muttered. Rio shook his head as he looked to the ground. Satoru stared at Yukio for a moment, completely bewildered.

"Are you serious?" Satoru asked, Yukio gave a shrug. "Oh, you know what? Fuck you man, this is the last time I do this for you." Satoru remarked, he took a deep breath, calming himself. "You're a poor friend and you just can't be trusted." Yukio said nothing, Satoru turned to Rio. "You should've just let Suya kick the shit out of him Rio." Mumbling to himself, Satoru exited the bathroom, leaving the other two behind. Rio remained on the edge of the sink as Yukio leant against the wall.

"You're going to have to tell him, you know that right?" Rio said, Yukio looked up.

"I don't have to tell Satoru anything."

"He needs to know," Rio sighed. "If you don't tell him I will."

"Don't you fucking dare man," Yukio huffed as he moved over to Rio, looking down on him. Rio shook his head as he stood up.

"Satoru's right, you are a shit friend." With that, Rio left the room, leaving Yukio to his thoughts, alone.

* * *

><p>The school day had come to an end as Satoru sat at his desk in his bedroom, yet again placing paper to pen. His eyes scanned a textbook that lay beside him as he copied out a portion of information on the sheet of paper in front of him. "Lavoisier did not discover oxygen, but he figured out that it was the gas that combined with substances as they burned," he mumbled, jotting the information down. A knock came from his bedroom door as he spun around in his chair, facing it. "Come in," he said. The door opened to reveal a tall man with a short crop of red hair. His green eyes gave a warm glow as he smiled at the boy.<p>

"Hey son," the man said. Satoru smiled back at his father.

"Hi dad," he replied. His father nudged over towards Satoru as he examined the paper on his desk.

"Studying again?"

"Yeah, Science." Satoru gave a laugh, "I'm trying to put it into my own words for notes, it's easier that way."

"Good lad," his father chuckled. "Glad to see you're still working hard. When's the exam?"

"Next week," Satoru sighed. His father sat down on the edge of his son's bed, just to the side of Satoru.

"You'll do great," his father said. Satoru gave a slow nod as he continued to jot down some notes. His father cleared his throat as he spoke. "Listen, Akane is downstairs."

"Oh," Satoru uttered as he placed his palm to his forehead. "I completely forgot that I was supposed to meet her," he muttered. "Is she upset?"

"I don't know, she's just sat on the sofa, I told her I'd grab you." His father replied. "Shall I tell her you're busy?"

"No, no that's okay." Satoru gave another sigh as he looked over his notes. "I'll be down in a minute, okay?"

"Sure, I'll let her know." His father got up from the bed and made his way over to the door. "Don't make her wait son," his father said as he left the room and headed down stairs. Satoru finished writing down the information from the text book as he clicked his pen. He then followed his father downstairs, closing the door behind him.

* * *

><p>As Satoru made his way into the living room of his house, he saw Akane sitting on the sofa, mind wandering, staring into space. She was very pretty, with pale skin and dark, flowing red hair. Satoru called her name. "Akane?" She turned to face him as her clear blue eyes met with his.<p>

"You were supposed to meet me after school, remember?" She uttered, rising up from the sofa, making her way towards Satoru. She stopped in front of the boy as he stretched his arm behind his head.

"I'm really sorry, it completely slipped my mind." He apologised, Akane folded her arms as she looked away from him. "I wasn't able to finish studying at lunch today so I was just focusing on that I guess, sorry I was distracted."

"Seems like you're always distracted these day," Akane replied. Satoru sighed as he hung his head. She looked back to him as she also sighed. "Do you have a moment? I want to go for a short walk and talk."

"We can talk her-"

"No, I don't want to talk here, not while your dad is around." Akane looked over to the kitchens archway that stood at the end of the living room. Satoru's father was stood at the hob, boiling a pan of rice. The red haired boy nodded as he spoke.

"Dad, we're going out for a little bit," he called over. His father spun around as he gave a smile.

"Okay, you kids have fun. Don't be too late, dinner will be ready soon."

"Sure," Satoru nodded as he walked over to the front door with Akane. Slipping on his shoes, the two stepped outside and began walking together.

* * *

><p>They came to the end of Satoru's road, a small foot path sat at the left hand side. Taking to the trail, they passed by the housing estate as they entered a wooded area. Passing by the trees and greenery they came to an opening. The footpath branched out around a small field, a few benches sat around the edge of it. Akane took a seat on the wooden bench as Satoru joined her. They were quiet for a moment, Satoru looked up at the blue sky as he relished the quiet moment. Akane cleared her throat, breaking Satoru away from the peace. "This isn't exactly easy," Akane uttered. Satoru looked to her as he raised an eyebrow.<p>

"What isn't?" He asked. Akane took a deep breath as she spoke.

"I just don't think this is working out Satoru."

"This, as in you and I?"

"Yes, I-I just don't think we should see each other anymore," she said in a soft voice. Satoru was quiet for a moment, he looked towards her, her eyes fell from his gaze.

"Why are you doing this now?" He asked in a harsh voice. Akane's eyes darted back towards him.

"What?"

"Why now? Exams are a week away and you dump this on me now?" Satou asked, becoming rather agitated. A crossed expression came over Akane's face.

"Oh, there you go. That's all you care about isn't it?!" She yelled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"All you do is study, you don't spend any time with me anymore and now that I'm breaking up with you it's still all you care about!" She remarked, breathing heavily. Satoru shook his head.

"What? Would you rather me keeps tabs on you all the time? Know every second where you are, who you're with and what you're doing?"

"At least you'd act like you care!" Akane yelled, "At least then I'd know you value me over studying!"

"That's stupid Akane, that makes no sense!" he stated. "I'm studying so hard so I can get into college, the college that we've decided to go to together, so that _we _can be together."

"No," Akane uttered, tears made their way to the corners of her eyes.

"No?" Satoru echoed. Akane shook her head.

"I've applied to a different college Satoru, I don't want this. I don't want to feel second best anymore." She wiped her eyes as she said this. Satoru got up from the bench as he looked out at the scenery. It was lush and green, a very peaceful place. A place where Satoru and Akane had spent a great deal of their time. However, this such event had blemished his memories of the place.

"How could you do that?" He muttered as he took his gaze away from the view, returning it to Akane. "Behind my back as well. If this is truly down to me not spending as much time with you, you would have said so," he croaked. Akane said nothing as Satoru looked on. "Surely you should be doing the same as me? Are the exams and college not important to you?" He asked, sitting back down on the bench, taking her hand in his. She faced him, looking into his eyes. "That's what we wanted right? To work hard and stay together ... why throw that away?" Akane remained quiet, closing her eyes, her tears rolled down her face. Pulling her hand away from Satoru's, she brushed it against her cheek. "Why aren't you saying anything?" Satoru asked, "this is why this is happening right?" He gave a sigh, "talk to me Akane. Talk to me so I can fix this." Akane shook her head as she spoke in a gentle voice.

"It's not the only reason Satoru."

"What do you mean?" He asked. Akane pulled away from him, distancing herself. Satoru thought for a moment. Looking over her, he spoke. "Is ... is there someone else?" He asked. Akane began to cry, all but confirming his suspicion. Satoru let out a sigh, fighting his tears, he spoke up again. "So there it is, that's the truth. It's not because I've been so busy lately. It's because you've been unfaithful to me," he stated. Akane continued to sob. "Who is it?" Satoru asked.

"I can't ..." Akane wept.

"Tell me," Satoru said, his voice became rather stern. "Akane, tell me now."

"Why should I?!" She yelled, jumping up from the bench. She stood in front of Satoru, looking down at him. "You didn't care before! Why do you care now?!" Satoru shook his head as he looked up at her with a cold glare.

"When did you become such a heartless person?" He asked. Akane went quiet. Wiping her tears one final time, she brought her hands to her side, fists clenched.

"Whoever you are with next, you'd better keep a close eye on her," Akane hissed. "Because if you act like you have done with me, you'll lose her to someone else. Of course, you won't care about her until she's gone!" Akane shouted maliciously as she stormed off. Satoru watched her walk away, his tears came back to the corners of his eyes as they began to slip down his face. Hanging his head in his hands, Satoru began to silently whimper to himself. He remained there for a while, alone with his thoughts and feelings with nothing but the cool breeze to mask the sound of his cries.

* * *

><p>"Okay, can anyone come up and solve the equation?" The small, plump woman asked as she stood at the front of the classroom. The classroom was filled with students, Satoru and Rio sat among them. Satoru's eye were heavy and dark. He leant his head against his palm as he stared forwards, though he wasn't focusing on the teacher in front. "Anyone?" She asked. "Come on, this method will be in your final exam, I trust that you should all know it by now." She folded her arms. "Kazu?" She uttered as a boy in the front row shot his head up.<p>

"Er, erm ... I don't know miss," he mumbled. The teacher shook her head as she spoke.

"Honestly, it's disappointing that the top maths set cannot solve an equation as simple as this." She scanned the rows of students as her eyes landed on Satoru. Noticing that he was not paying attention, she called his name. "Satoru?" She said, using his first name to get his attention. Satoru's heavy eyes dragged themselves towards the teacher. "Would you care to come up and solve it?" Letting out a sigh, Satoru pulled himself up and heaved his body over to the blackboard at the front of the room. Handing him the chalk, the teacher spoke. "I hope you've been paying attention young man." Satoru placed the chalk against the blackboard yet his hand didn't move. Rio looked on at his friend, examining him he could see how exhausted he looked. A girl to his left leant over to him.

"Rio, is Satoru okay?" She asked. Rio looked over to his friend again, Satoru still had not moved the chalk.

"I think he's just been studying too hard," Rio replied, looking back to the girl. She gave a nod as her gaze returned to the front of the room.

"Well?" The teacher asked. Satoru stared blankly at the board as he let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry miss," Satoru mumbled. "I don't know it," he sighed. The teacher shook her head at the boy.

"Shimizu," the teacher said, looking to Rio. "Surely our top student can lend a hand?" She asked, cursing under his breath at the thought of behind called the 'top student'. Rio got up from his chair and walked over to the board. With his eyes fixed on the ground, Satoru dropped the chalk in his friend's hand. Rio's eyes followed his friend as he moved back over to his desk. "This should be easy for you," the teacher whispered as Rio placed the chalk to the blackboard and began to solve the equation that was in front of him.

* * *

><p>Satoru stared at himself in the mirror as he bent down and splashed some water over his face. He was in the old bathroom, the same one that he had spoken to Yukio in the day before. As he brought his head back up he focused on the mirror again. Drops of water trickled down his face. Yet, his eyes remained rather red a puffy. His head felt very heavy, bringing his fingers to his temples, he gently rubbed them. As he was attempting to cure his headache, Rio popped his head in the door of the bathroom. "Hey, Satoru, you coming for lunch?" He asked.<p>

"N-no, I'm just going to stay here for a while," Satoru said a hushed tone. Rio slowly made his way inside as he leant against one of the cubicle doors.

"You okay man?" Rio asked, giving a worried look. "You seemed pretty out of it in Math class."

"I know," Satoru sighed, rubbing his sleeve over his face to dry it. He turned around to look at his friend. "I'm not okay, to be honest."

"What's up?" Rio asked, Satoru remained quiet, keeping his head down. "Is it because of the whole thing with Yukio and Suya yesterday?" Rio wondered, "If it is then you don't have to worry about Yukio, he wasn't in homeroom so I guess he's ditched for the day."

"It's nothing to do with that," Satoru replied. Rio nodded.

"Okay then," he let out a cough, "so who what is it?"

"Akane ..." Satoru said, "she broke up with me last night." Rio felt a chill down his spine.

"Shit man, I-I'm sorry," he uttered. Satoru, folded his arms as he leant against the sink.

"Thanks."

"D-Did she say why?" Rio asked.

"She ..." Satoru began, scratching above his eye. "Er, she said that it was because I hadn't been spending time with her lately, because I've been studying so much."

"What? That's a stupid reason," Rio said in a nervous voice.

"I know, so I called bullshit on that." Satoru sniffed, "I got the truth out of her then." Rio raised an eyebrow. His heart began to beat faster.

"W-which is?"

"She cheated on me man," Satoru sighed, giving another sniff. Rio's gaze fell to the ground as he shook his head.

"Shit man ..." he mumbled. Satoru looked to his friend.

"I need to know who it was with but she won't say."

"Satoru ..." Rio said in a shaky voice.

"What?"

"I, I'm so sorry Satoru," Rio said. Satoru looked confused.

"It's not your fault man ... is it?" He asked. Rio looked up to his friend as his eyes went misty.

"I ... I know who it is," Rio stated. Satoru began to breathe rather heavily.

"Who?"

"Just, please man, don't do anything stupi-"

"Who is it?!" Satoru yelled. An eerie silence filled the room as Rio mustered up the courage to speak the name of Akane's lover. "Well?!"

"Yukio." Satoru went quiet, he was speechless. "He told me last week. I-I've been trying to get him to tell you b-"

"You've known all along?!" Satoru yelled, he darted forwards, grabbing Rio by the collar, he held him up against the cubicle door. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"S-Satoru, please!" Rio cried, "I-I didn't know how to! Believe me, I didn't want you to find out like this!"

"You're supposed to be my friend! You're supposed to have my back!" Satoru shouted, clenching his fist. Rio shut his eyes, turning his head to the side. Satoru was breathing heavily still, red in the face. Letting go of Rio, he began to make for the exit.

"Where are you going?" Rio yelled as Satoru walked away.

"To the docks! If Yukio is ditching then he'll be there!" Satoru hissed "I'm going to kill him!" He barked as he ran out of the room. Rio took chase behind him, trying to convince his friend to rethink his plan.

* * *

><p>Yukio stood at the end of one of the docks. He had a joint in one hand and a ball at his feet. As he took a few puffs on the joint, he kicked the ball against an old metal shack that sat at the other end of the dock. Exhaling the smoke, he looked out at one of the boats. It was old and rusty, much like the docks themselves. They were disused, you had to climb over a fence to even enter the place. This was Yukio's preferred spot to come when he decided to not attend school. In fact, he and his friends had spent many hours there in their youth, exploring the abandoned boats and buildings. Yet, in this moment, Yukio was alone. That is, until he heard someone shouting his name. Turning towards the direction of the noise, he saw Satoru running towards him. "Yukio!" He yelled. Yukio did nothing. Satoru came close to him as he grabbed him the by collar, much like he had done with Rio. "You slept with Akane, didn't you!" Yukio didn't reply. He looked into Satoru's eyes. The boy was shaking with anger. Yukio brought his joint towards his mouth as he took another puff on it. Satoru grabbed it from his mouth as he threw it to the ground. "Speak! Tell me Rio is wrong!" Satoru yelled. Yukio smirked at Satoru as he spoke.<p>

"She was pretty good you know," he muttered. In this instant, Satoru had flipped. He brought his fist towards Yukio's face, it connected. Yukio fell to the floor as Satoru leaped on top of him.

"You fucking lying prick!" Satoru yelled as he threw another punch towards Yukio. It connected again. Yukio placed out his arm to stop Satoru's blows yet they kept coming. In no time, blood began to flow from Yukio's face, out of his nostrils and mouth. Yukio managed to block a few blows but again, they kept coming. At this moment, Rio had arrived. He stiffened at the sight of Satoru whaling on Yukio. "We were friends you bastard!" Satoru yelled as he hit Yukio again. Rio dashed forward, tackling Satoru. They landed next to Yukio as Satoru attempted to push Rio off him. Rio wrapped his arms around Satoru's chest, stopping Satoru from raising his arms. As Satoru struggled, Rio looked over to Yukio. The boy coughed as he turned over onto his front. Blood dripped out of his mouth and landed on the hard, cold ground.

"Satoru, that's enough!" Rio yelled as Satoru continued to struggle. Suddenly, Satoru went still. Then, he began to cry to himself. Yukio got up onto his hands and knees. Looking over to Satoru, he spoke.

"Crazy bastard," he scoffed as blood continued to flow from his mouth. Satoru carried on crying as Rio loosened his grip. Rio got to his knees, placing a hand on Satoru's shoulder, he spoke.

"This isn't going to fix anything," he said, "you know that." There was no reply, Satoru had gone quiet. Pushing Rio's hand away, Satoru got up to his feet. As he wiped his bloody hand across his cheek, attempting to dry his eyes, he took a deep breath.

"I'm done," he murmured.

"Good," Rio nodded. Satoru walked over to Yukio. As he looked down at him, they made eye contact.

"You've fucking broke it mate," Satoru stated. "Any amount of trust we had left is gone!"

"Like I care," Yukio replied, spitting out some more blood.

"I know you don't," Satoru said.

"Satoru, what Yukio did was wrong. He doesn't deserve this though!" Rio exclaimed, getting to his feet.

"No, he's dead to me," Satoru muttered, looking down on Yukio with a pair of cold, dead eyes. "You both are."

"What?" Rio uttered, looking towards Satoru.

"I'm done with you guys, I never want to see you again."

"Sator-"

"No, Rio. I mean it, when we graduate that's it. I don't want to see you, I don't want to know you. I'm done with you guys, with this school, this town. All of it." Satoru moved away from Yukio, turning his back on the two other boys. "I can't trust either of you," he added. "I want to leave this place and never look back." Satoru began to walk away, eyes fixed straight ahead.

"Satoru!" Rio yelled, "Satoru!" The red-haired boy did not look back. Tears ran down Rio's face as he took a deep breath. He shouted again, for the final time. "SATORU!"

* * *

><p>A sharp knock came from the bathroom door as Satoru awoke with a jolt, breathing very heavily. The water splashed around him as it began to settle.<p>

"Satoru?" a familiar voice uttered. "Did you fall asleep in there? You've been in the bath for an hour." Rubbing his eyes, Satoru looked towards the bathroom door and spoke.

"Ushio?"

"Yes, it's me. Are you okay?" She asked.

"S-sorry, yeah I must've dozed off," he replied.

"Are you getting out? My mom's nearly finished making dinner," Ushio chirped. Satoru took a deep breath, attempting to calm down.

"Yeah, okay."

"After dinner, Aki wants you to help with the shed outback, my dad's had to pop out for a bit so he was wondering if you could help him finish?"

"Yeah," Satoru replied.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ushio asked, seeming rather worried.

"Y-yeah, I just ... just had a bad dream is all. An old memory."

"Okay ... well don't be long." Satoru heard Ushio's footstep grow quiet as he laid back in the bath, closing his eyes.

"I can't let it happen again," he mumbled to himself. With that, Satoru pulled himself out of the bath and began to get ready for dinner with his potential in-laws.

**~*63*~**


End file.
